Model 52 horns

For Pre A discussions and questions
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Brett Johnson
Registry Hall of Fame
Posts: 641
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: Indianapolis

Model 52 horns

#1 Post by Brett Johnson »

I have conflicting information provided by the parts manuals -- surprise! Do the horns on Model 52s mount on the fender brace or recessed into the inner nose as on earlier cars? Can anyone provide photos?
Brett Johnson

User avatar
Greg Bryan
356 Fan
Posts: 3692
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 1:05 pm
Location: San Pedro, CA 90732; Fallen Leaf, CA 96150
Contact:

Re: Model 52 horns

#2 Post by Greg Bryan »

There must be someone out there with an answer …..
Greg Bryan

User avatar
Jim Liberty
356 Registry Member
Posts: 4312
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 3:47 pm
Tag: Jim
Location: Orange Co., CA
Contact:

Re: Model 52 horns

#3 Post by Jim Liberty »

I believe there is one horn on the drivers side. My '52 coupe, and my '52/53 Glaser both have one horn. It is attached to the fender brace. Jim.
Jim Liberty

User avatar
James Davies
356Talk Moderator
Posts: 2951
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:15 am
Location: Heidelberg, DE

Re: Model 52 horns

#4 Post by James Davies »

Hi Brett,

Number and type of horns was generally spec'd by the importer. Hoffman spec'ed a single horn on driver's side for the 1952 and 1953 bent-window cars. No horn relay, wired directly to the battery. Meanwhile, AMAG in Switzerland spec'd dual horns on their cars - a city horn and country horn. Normal and loud. There was a toggle switch on the dashboard to switch between the two horns. AMAG cars got the standard Bosch and then a louder Hella Fanfare from most of the examples I've seen, similar to the Bosch Fanfare horns used on 1954-55 Hoffman coupes and cabs.

The really interesting thing is that the horn pockets at the front of the battery box that were a feature of the split-window cars continued on the bent-window cars well into 1952. For coupes, the bent-window cars started at 11361. The horn pockets were still there on coupes 11408, 11412, 11416 (photo below). Not sure about 11433, but it would be an excellent candidate, as it is mostly unrestored. I believe 11487 is the first I know of that definitely did not have the horn pockets.

A minor detail - the battery box floor with the wide ribs was originally designed to work with horn pockets on the vertical panel, which is why the two inset ribs are shorter going up the front than the others, to make space for the pockets. These shorter inset ribs are a feature of all the subsequent pre-A floors (certainly through 1954). See photo below. None of the reproductions currently available does this correctly.

All the new bent-window cars from April 1952 up through April 1954 had these new, reinforced fender braces it seems. These braces were specifically designed to mount a large dinner plate-sized horn on them, if needed. The Bosch HO/FDF horns fit fine in the earlier horn pockets, but the 1952+ HO/FSA horns did not. 11412 mentioned above did have a single horn on driver's side mounted to the new fender brace. Most Hoffman cars were the same.

Finally, those old B&W photos of a brand-new 1953 Super coupe that Charlie White dug up and you reported on many years ago is an excellent example of an AMAG Swiss-delivery coupe with dual horns (and dual Reutter recliners). It is chassis 50038, and it has the horn toggle switch to the left of the Störk temp gauge. It came with an extra Hella Fanfare horn. The other obvious marker it is a Swiss AMAG car is that it has orange front turn signals. Only the Swiss pre-A cars had these.

Fun!
Attachments
bent-window fender braces.  April 1952 to April 1954 (top); April 1954 onward (bottom)
bent-window fender braces. April 1952 to April 1954 (top); April 1954 onward (bottom)
bent-window front fender braces with horn-mounting plate on a 1953 coupe
bent-window front fender braces with horn-mounting plate on a 1953 coupe
wide-ribbed battery floor with unequal-length ribs up the front.  early 1953 coupe
wide-ribbed battery floor with unequal-length ribs up the front. early 1953 coupe
11416 had horn pockets and fender braces with horn mounting plates
11416 had horn pockets and fender braces with horn mounting plates

User avatar
Brett Johnson
Registry Hall of Fame
Posts: 641
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: Indianapolis

Re: Model 52 horns

#5 Post by Brett Johnson »

Great information James, thanks! So -- all split cars have the early style bracket. Model 52 (bent) cars have the second type, capable of holding a horn. Do all have the aft brace as shown in the photo provided (on car)? The next version coincides with the addition of horn grilles in April '54.

Parts manual information is wrong, regardless -- but then again, bumper information is equally hopeless.

I just posted the following illustration in the battery floor drain thread, but since it doesn't cost anything, here it is again (once again in two languages). It illustrates the early fender bracket and what I assume is the early battery floor.

I'd like to have photos of the early ones on cars, with horns fitted where applicable. Don't need the 1954 and later style. Also need photos of the early battery floor (top and bottom).
Attachments
Lbatfloor.jpg
Brett Johnson

User avatar
Jim Liberty
356 Registry Member
Posts: 4312
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 3:47 pm
Tag: Jim
Location: Orange Co., CA
Contact:

Re: Model 52 horns

#6 Post by Jim Liberty »

James, a wealth of information. Robert Brocker sent me pictures of the nose and rear of the last known Glaser #12377. Mine is #12375, and I believe the last three cars to go back to Reutter for completion were 75, 76 & 77. All stand off bumper cars. I will proceed that way with mine.

………………………………...Jim.
Jim Liberty

User avatar
James Davies
356Talk Moderator
Posts: 2951
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:15 am
Location: Heidelberg, DE

Re: Model 52 horns

#7 Post by James Davies »

Brett Johnson wrote: So -- all split cars have the early style bracket. Model 52 (bent) cars have the second type, capable of holding a horn. Do all have the aft brace as shown in the photo provided (on car)? The next version coincides with the addition of horn grilles in April '54.
Yes, all had the diagonal aft brace, which of course went away when standard dual horns, horn relay and horn grills were introduced in ~April 1954.

User avatar
Jim Liberty
356 Registry Member
Posts: 4312
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 3:47 pm
Tag: Jim
Location: Orange Co., CA
Contact:

Re: Model 52 horns

#8 Post by Jim Liberty »

My #12375 has these angle brackets also. Jim.
Jim Liberty

User avatar
James Davies
356Talk Moderator
Posts: 2951
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:15 am
Location: Heidelberg, DE

Re: Model 52 horns

#9 Post by James Davies »

Jim Liberty wrote:My #12375 has these angle brackets also. Jim.
Jim, your Gläser was finished in Feb 1953, so it would have had almost all the normal early 1953 features, including the early rear fender well shape.

User avatar
Brett Johnson
Registry Hall of Fame
Posts: 641
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: Indianapolis

Re: Model 52 horns

#10 Post by Brett Johnson »

Here's more. First type of fender brace (#5033) and single horn in front horn pocket. Don't know if horn is original and didn't have the sense to take a close-up photo at the time.
Attachments
L470.jpg
L437.jpg
Brett Johnson

User avatar
Spencer Harris
356 Fan
Posts: 1149
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:39 pm
Location: San Joaquin Valley, California

Re: Model 52 horns

#11 Post by Spencer Harris »

Looks like the FDF 6/147 that was on my '53 60238 when I found it. Possible that PO changed it at some point, but I didn't find any large horns in the barn with other parts that were from the car. Car was Euro delivery, so maybe Autohaus Krauss spec'd it this way??
DSC_0378.jpg
30DSC_0353.jpg
Spencer Harris
San Joaquin Valley, CA.

Post Reply