MTFCA Forum

I have 2 steering columns I have been told are for 1916. They both have the two mounting holes for the horn button, but one has a U shaped channel for the horn wire while the other has the small round tube for one wire. Which would be correct for a 1916 made in December, 1915?

Here is what the Forum Encyclopedia states
1916
STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY: Pressed steel, brass-plated, quadrant, Brass-plated spark and throttle levers, with flattened metal ends, appear to have been used, although black painted rods have been seen. Gear case was brass, one piece assembly. Wheel was 15’’ outside diameter, wood, and painted black. The wheel spider was iron and painted black. Horn button was located on top surface, below the steering wheel.
1915-1917
Similar to previous type but small tube added for horn wire. Horn switch mounted on the top surface, just below the steering wheel. The horn bulb, when used, clamped to the column. Quadrant was painted black. Factory blueprint, dated February 26, 1916, indicates that the horn wire was changed from a tube to a steel stamping, welded to the column
So the tube

Most mid-1915/'16/'17 steering columns had the early electric horn that used a single grounding wire through the very small horn-wire tube to the smaller horn button mounted on the top side of the top end of the steering column. Most 1915s had the spark and throttle levers with the larger flatter paddle shaped handles. They appear to have changed to the smaller "button" ends sometime late in 1915. The early 1916 Center-door sedan I had years ago had suffered a bad 1950s restoration, and had a lot of later parts on it. But one thing it appeared to have from original was the steering column had remnants of brass plating on the spark and throttle quadrant and levers, and they were the later small button ends.
I have never seen a definitive answer to when the lever ends went from the larger paddles to the smaller button ends. But my guess would be in the mid to late 1915 calendar year. The small horn tube with small button ends steering column to me seems to be fairly common, both 1916 and 1917 model years building more cars faster than ever before. While the larger paddle 1915 type were used for a shorter time.

The larger multiwire horn tube came along for the 1918 model year's introduction of the combination horn and light switch.

I've had both types of columns with the small horn tube - I'm going to venture a WAG that the single wire round tube was earlier than the simple single wire U-channel - simple economics perhaps ?

I thought the 16 had flattened out throttle and spark arms like the earlier ones?

I agree with Steve. The tubular horn wire is held on with separate spot welded retainers. Then they found a way to do it more cheaply with the U shaped channel, which was later made larger to take two wires when the battery horn was introduced.

Allan from down under.

Here is the steering column on my 1916 coupelet. The car is a January 1916 car. The brass rivets holding the brass plated quadrant are a bit large, but the spark and throttle rods are original and brass plated steel. I hope this helps, Russ Furstnow

What type of horn wire tube is yours Russ ?

My 1916 column has the tube for one wire. Russ Furstnow

The gear case on the one column still has nickel plating on it, so not 1916? Interesting though, that the quadrant and levers on that same column do not have a speck of paint showing, while the column itself is still black. Suggesting long gone brass plating which would have "fragile" and prone to wear and corrosion. Also, notice that the quadrant neck is much longer than that on the other column. Notice too that the quadrant on Russ Furstnow's column also has that same longer neck. The odd nickel plating aside, my guess is the upper column may be 1916?

Jerry, I restored the column for my 1917 coupelet (May 1917), and it has a nickel gear case and cap. The quadrant, which is identical to my 1916 column, is painted black, and the spark and throttle rods are nickeled. The horn button remained on the top of the column as my 1916. Russ Furstnow