The problem du jours that is frustrating me at the moment is how to reassemble the horn button pieces. While tracing a non-functioning horn, I removed the horn button assembly from the column and found one wire broken at its connection point. I repaired that and by using a screwdriver to short between the two wires, the horn now makes a sound - not the correct one, of course, as it's a repo chrome Model A J.C. Whitney-quality ahooga horn (SURPRISE!!!). But at least now the horn button will activate whatever it's connected to.
But for the life of me, I cannot seem to get all the internal guts back together inside the button housing enough to even make the center bolt exit the housing. I have not seen this Rube Goldberg style of internal button configuration in my previous forays into assembling Model T horn buttons. This one has three "arms" in a "Y" configuration around a squared shaft. I see three brass divots on the other piece for these to contact when the button is pushed. Two arms stay rigid, while the third one swings on the squared shaft, which I assume is supposed to contact the ground divot. The problem I am fighting is keeping the three arms lined up against their respective divots to establish electrical contact. The "ground" arm swings freely like a broken clock pointer. No matter what I do, I cannot cram everything back together and line things up enough to squeeze the two housing halves together enough to start the center bolt and nut. Is there some state secret on how this mess can be easily and correctly put back together again? When was this design superseded by one more user friendly?If needed, I can photograph this horn button assembly tomorrow. Later ones I have worked on were SOOOOOOOO much more simplified and easier to reassemble. I pity the poor worker in 1920 who had to install these things on the assembly line, 10 hours a day, 6 1/2 days a week!
Marshall
