Horn buttons '15-16 Ford - Maxwell

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Horn buttons '15-16 Ford - Maxwell
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Thursday, June 05, 2014 - 07:43 pm:







I assume Ford used a supplier for the electric horn buttons first introduced in 1915. Maybe Briggs & Straton or someone. My '15 Maxwell has the same button Ford used except the mounting holes are a little larger. 7/32 on the Maxwell. It is the button on the left. The hole size varies on my other buttons which I assume are Model T. 5/32 to 13/64. Two of the buttons have 5/32 for one hole and 11/64 for the others. Odd?

Just thoughts I thought I would bring up while I am putting of cleaning and painting my Maxwell button.

I also found it interesting that some of these ground through a strap to the mounting hole and some have two wires.

Rich

P.S. the one on the far right must be after market. Maybe APCO or something.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Spaziano, Bellflower, CA. on Thursday, June 05, 2014 - 07:53 pm:

Richard,

I believe Dodge Brothers also used a similar horn button.

They chose to mount theirs to the driver's door panel presumably to be operated by the driver's elbow.

Mike.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Thursday, June 05, 2014 - 08:27 pm:

That makes sense, Mike. It would have been the same time frame. Probably other makes used it too.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Thursday, June 05, 2014 - 08:32 pm:

I expect that whoever made these provided them to several car manufacturers. All the Ford ones I've seen use the grounding strap, shown in some of your pics.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry Smith on Thursday, June 05, 2014 - 10:34 pm:

We make an exact copy of the button. They are available from Langs.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Dewey, N. California on Friday, June 06, 2014 - 01:14 am:

I think the one on the right is the Dodge Brother's button. The base looks like the imprint on an original upholstered door panel I have.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Saturday, June 07, 2014 - 12:47 am:



FWIW


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By A. J. "Art" Bell on Saturday, June 07, 2014 - 02:01 am:

Ray H. Manson
Elyria, Ohio
Assignor to the Garford Manufacturing Co.
Elyria, Ohio
Design for a Push Button Circuit Controller
Patent ; D49126
Filing date: Jul 26, 1915
Issue date: May 30, 1916
http://tinyurl.com/p5nzr2e


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Saturday, June 07, 2014 - 11:02 am:

Thanks Art. The housing is very much the same on all four buttons. Only one inner insulator has the lettering on it. Perhaps all were made by Garford and the lettering was put on later or discontinued.
Rich


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By A. J. "Art" Bell on Saturday, June 07, 2014 - 12:03 pm:

Hi Rich
As a side note . . .
Patent numbers prefixed with a “D” are issued as ‘Design’
patents, and as such do not serve to cover how something
works. Only the ‘look’ is covered but they are generally much
quicker to be issued. Things like radiator mascots or even
carpets or designs on cloth are usually covered in that way.
Regards
Art


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Howard D. Dennis on Saturday, June 07, 2014 - 01:39 pm:

Richard, here's a N.O.S. horn I bought off eBay for my 1917 Maxwell, note the maker. Fellow I bought it from rescued it from the top of a giant dumpster from an old hardware store being cleaned out in the Midwest. It was assembled wrong at the factory and didn't work which probably saved it all these years. I reassembled it with the gaskets in the right place and it works perfectly! Has a weird quack honk.

Howard Dennishorn 1horn 2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 - 03:16 pm:



Update. It's nice to have a lathe, some Delrin and a little time. Now I have one for the Maxwell and one for the '15 T.

Howard, thanks for the pictures of the horn. Now I know what I'm looking for. Also it is interesting it is Garford.

Rich


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Page on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 - 06:06 pm:

Richard,

Here is a photo of a spare base I had one time. The horn on our Canadian Fordor is the same. Made by BENZAMIN.

Possibly a Canadian manufacturer.

Art may be able to track down where they were made?

I wonder also if Ford Motor Co. may have also produced their own horn buttons from FORDITE.

Regards, John


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