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- 2011 Mustang GT
Recently I decided to upgrade my horn, instead of replacing it with a larger horn, I opted for a set of Fiamm Dual-Tone trumpet air horns, to kick it up a notch.
First off, If you screw your car up in any way, I am NOT responsible for this. This can/may void parts of your warranty in your car and I would just like to address this before you continue.
Total time to complete: 1-2 hours
Tools needed: 10mm socket, 10mm wrench hacksaw, adjustable wrench, drill, 5/16 drill bit, soldering iron(if necessary)
Materials needed: New horn setup, stock horn w/ bracket, about 3 ft of wire (2 colors preferred), splice nuts, wire terminals, 3/4" by 6" aluminum, various bolts, 20A fuse
How to do it..
Step 1-
Remove the grill. Very simple. Remove the two 10mm bolts on each end of your grill, then pull upward (yes pull, it won't break) and then out away from the car to remove the grill. There are several push pins that are pushed into the radiator support, so be sure to keep those for later on.
Step 2-
Remove the stock horn. Again, the 10mm socket will remove the bolt holding the bracket in place and save for later. Remove the wiring clip from the horn and the assembly should be free. Take an adjustable wrench (or a box wrench if you have one big enough) and flip the horn over. Remove the nut holding the horn in place and save the bracket.
Step 3-
Make the new bracket. The way I set mine up is quite simple, and still provided clearance to put the stock grill in. I took the aluminum (available at any Home Depot for about $3.25) and cut about a 5" long piece. File the edges to remove any burrs. My horns were mounted with square head bolts, which the horns slipped over. I then took the drill, spaced out the horns evenly, and drilled holes about 5/8" away from each edge and vertically centered on the aluminum. I then test fit the horns on the aluminum bracket. After removing the horns, I then measured to center, and drilled another hole in the middle of the bracket to attach to the stock bracket. (NOTE: you may drill a larger hole if you feel necessary, but I just used a washer to hold in place with a 1/4" bolt.)After drilling, I then found a bolt, 2 lock washers, and a nut to combine both brackets together. Bolt, washer, aluminum, stock bracket, washer, nut was the order which they went together. A drop of Loctite on this bolt is recommended. Next, remount the horns onto the newly made bracket.
Step 4: Install the air hoses. Since the horns are mounted on the bracket, start there. Cut the pieces to mount to the Y connector, and then you will need about an 8" piece for the compressor line. Mount the compressor line on the compressor, but not on the horn side just yet.
Step 5:
Mount the compressor. If you look with the grill off, in the center of the opening, there is a vertical beam. On the passenger side, there are some holes already made. I used one of these to mount the compressor. I first threaded the nut and bolt by hand, then mounted the compressor, and tightened it down. My compressor was smaller than a pop can, just to give you an idea of how big, and it is also inverted. I mounted it with the air nozzle pointed directly to the passenger side to avoid kinking the air lines, and since the wiring terminals are on the bottom, make wiring easier.
Step 6:
Mount the horns. Using the same 10mm bolt you removed originally, mount the new bracket with horns in the stock horns location. They should fit without any problems. Connect the air line to the Y fitting on the horn side and the plumbing and fabrication are all done. Check for kinks in the compressor line, and rotate the compressor as necessary to remove the kinks.
Step 7:
Wiring. First, pop the fuse box cover off inside the engine bay. Remove fuse 13 (15A) and replace it with a 20A fuse. If not, you will constantly blow the fuse as soon as you hit the horn. After that is changed, clip the stock horn terminal off, and strip the wire back. You will need to splice into this wire for +. Connect this wire to the + side of the compressor using a terminal. Next, use another terminal to connect to the negative side of the compressor, and run it to a chassis ground. I used the passenger side bolt of the hood latch for mine, and put a ring terminal between the bolt and radiator support. At this time everything should be connected. Make sure when wiring that you either tape or shrink tube the connections as they will be subject to water, snow, and all that good stuff.
Step 8:
Enjoy your horns! Mine are great and I love them. They can scare people but are loud enough to mean business on the highway. 134dB is good enough for me.
I will post pictures soon.
Feel free to comment.
First off, If you screw your car up in any way, I am NOT responsible for this. This can/may void parts of your warranty in your car and I would just like to address this before you continue.
Total time to complete: 1-2 hours
Tools needed: 10mm socket, 10mm wrench hacksaw, adjustable wrench, drill, 5/16 drill bit, soldering iron(if necessary)
Materials needed: New horn setup, stock horn w/ bracket, about 3 ft of wire (2 colors preferred), splice nuts, wire terminals, 3/4" by 6" aluminum, various bolts, 20A fuse
How to do it..
Step 1-
Remove the grill. Very simple. Remove the two 10mm bolts on each end of your grill, then pull upward (yes pull, it won't break) and then out away from the car to remove the grill. There are several push pins that are pushed into the radiator support, so be sure to keep those for later on.
Step 2-
Remove the stock horn. Again, the 10mm socket will remove the bolt holding the bracket in place and save for later. Remove the wiring clip from the horn and the assembly should be free. Take an adjustable wrench (or a box wrench if you have one big enough) and flip the horn over. Remove the nut holding the horn in place and save the bracket.
Step 3-
Make the new bracket. The way I set mine up is quite simple, and still provided clearance to put the stock grill in. I took the aluminum (available at any Home Depot for about $3.25) and cut about a 5" long piece. File the edges to remove any burrs. My horns were mounted with square head bolts, which the horns slipped over. I then took the drill, spaced out the horns evenly, and drilled holes about 5/8" away from each edge and vertically centered on the aluminum. I then test fit the horns on the aluminum bracket. After removing the horns, I then measured to center, and drilled another hole in the middle of the bracket to attach to the stock bracket. (NOTE: you may drill a larger hole if you feel necessary, but I just used a washer to hold in place with a 1/4" bolt.)After drilling, I then found a bolt, 2 lock washers, and a nut to combine both brackets together. Bolt, washer, aluminum, stock bracket, washer, nut was the order which they went together. A drop of Loctite on this bolt is recommended. Next, remount the horns onto the newly made bracket.
Step 4: Install the air hoses. Since the horns are mounted on the bracket, start there. Cut the pieces to mount to the Y connector, and then you will need about an 8" piece for the compressor line. Mount the compressor line on the compressor, but not on the horn side just yet.
Step 5:
Mount the compressor. If you look with the grill off, in the center of the opening, there is a vertical beam. On the passenger side, there are some holes already made. I used one of these to mount the compressor. I first threaded the nut and bolt by hand, then mounted the compressor, and tightened it down. My compressor was smaller than a pop can, just to give you an idea of how big, and it is also inverted. I mounted it with the air nozzle pointed directly to the passenger side to avoid kinking the air lines, and since the wiring terminals are on the bottom, make wiring easier.
Step 6:
Mount the horns. Using the same 10mm bolt you removed originally, mount the new bracket with horns in the stock horns location. They should fit without any problems. Connect the air line to the Y fitting on the horn side and the plumbing and fabrication are all done. Check for kinks in the compressor line, and rotate the compressor as necessary to remove the kinks.
Step 7:
Wiring. First, pop the fuse box cover off inside the engine bay. Remove fuse 13 (15A) and replace it with a 20A fuse. If not, you will constantly blow the fuse as soon as you hit the horn. After that is changed, clip the stock horn terminal off, and strip the wire back. You will need to splice into this wire for +. Connect this wire to the + side of the compressor using a terminal. Next, use another terminal to connect to the negative side of the compressor, and run it to a chassis ground. I used the passenger side bolt of the hood latch for mine, and put a ring terminal between the bolt and radiator support. At this time everything should be connected. Make sure when wiring that you either tape or shrink tube the connections as they will be subject to water, snow, and all that good stuff.
Step 8:
Enjoy your horns! Mine are great and I love them. They can scare people but are loud enough to mean business on the highway. 134dB is good enough for me.
I will post pictures soon.
Feel free to comment.
