Topic: How can I tell if my horns are original? Don’t see a Ford part number...

[palacekeeper]

I’m considering having my horns on a 1970 Mach 1 restored, but before doing that I want to make sure they are original. I don’t see a Ford part number on them. Does that mean they are repros? How can I tell? Thanks!

[palacekeeper]

Forgot to attach the picture. Here is a picture of one of them. These do have rivets and the Hi Lo markings. Not sure what else to look for. thanks

[J_Speegle]

Won't have Ford engineering numbers on the items. Made by a supplier other than Ford

Often it comes down to the bracket as the base horn is similar for many years. Not sure if you can see it through the paint but you might want to check for a date stamp

[Bossbill]

My 67 horns are date coded on the outer bell near the HI and LO. Only visible after glass media blast.
Do we know if this practice continued into 70 or later?

[J_Speegle]

....Do we know if this practice continued into 70 or later?

Just added the same above. Don't have any 70's to check. Do have pictures of the use/application for 69's. Worth a look and there is a good chance. Guess I could go look for pictures or look at the Cougar to see if those horns have dates if really needed

[palacekeeper]

Thanks guys. What would the date code like? Obviously a code  but would it be various letters, numbers, etc. or an actual date?

It's not urgent or anything   just don't want to send them off for refurbishment if they are repros. I'm thinking because of the rivets and other markings they certainly look like they might be original. The other consideration is that almost every time a part has been in question on this car, that after I researched it has turned out to be original. This car must have been garage kept for many years because there seem to be a substantial amount of original parts on it that are in very good shape.

There are some little bumps to the left of the "LO" around the outer edge that are visible if you zoom in - almost looks like 2 rows of 3 dots - could be something under the paint. Also, there is what looks like a "5" and "LO" near the bell if you zoom in.

Any input is appreciated!

[krelboyne]

Date on the edge of the opening, front side.

[Bob Gaines]

I’m considering having my horns on a 1970 Mach 1 restored, but before doing that I want to make sure they are original. I don’t see a Ford part number on them. Does that mean they are repros? How can I tell? Thanks!

If you are concerned about originality then I would confirm how the rivets will look after restoration. No use spending the money if it is not going to look correct when it comes back anyway. At that point it doesn't matter if it has a correct date code or if a repro.  The ones I have seen came back with a odd looking rivet. They are expensive to restore and typically you can buy a working set and repaint them yourself substantially cheaper. The rebuilt kits sold online to restore will typically only help with a horn that needs the points cleaned inside and not a burned out coil like many unworking horns have plus you have to come up with a correct anvil to get the right look on the rivet head. The kit sellers don't go into what to do if there is a burned up coil inside. The short answer is to start with another horn.

[palacekeeper]

Okay so I looked at the location in the picture for a date code, and it does appear to have some numbers and/or letters there but it's hard to tell how many because of the paint. Based on the history of the car, I'm leaning towards these being originals but again, hard to say for sure. Here is a picture of the same location where the date code is supposed to be.

Regarding getting it done right with the rivets etc. I've heard good things about this shop in other forums. Anyone used this shop or heard anything good or bad?

https://thehornworks.com/

Looks like they also got a write up here: http://www.mustangandfords.com/how-to/interior-electrical/mump-1105-classic-mustang-horn-repair

[Vcode]

Here's Marcus's article on the 69-70 horns.

http://anghelrestorations.com/uploads/3/5/1/2/35122002/69_70_horns_v1.0.pdf

[palacekeeper]

Thanks for the responses. I also called Horn Works and spoke to Gary. I sent him some pictures and he said that they are correct for 69/70, so it appears that they are probably originals. I'll plan to send them in for restoration and I'll report back later with "after" pictures in case anyone else is interested in how it turns out.

[Bossbill]

After taking a few apart and looking at the rivet, it occurred to me  that I should buy some aluminum rod of the larger side, cut them to length, chuck it up in a lathe and about half way down cut it down to the smaller size, cut in the cross hatches and then using an arbor press or vise squish it together. The aluminum is much easier to work with and require less pressure to squish. The cross hatch side would squish much more than the large side.

Just a thought . . .