I’m from Victoria, Australia. I have everything I need for my full train horn system, which I have put together from various parts.
My only problem is; how do I get 1/2" (Outer Diameter) rubber hose (airline) from the rear of my stationwagon (in the cabin) to the front of the car (under the bonnet, where my horns will be mounted.
I have a 1997 Ford EL Falcon Stationwagon. I am wondering whether it would be possible to run the airline inside the car to the front, so as to keep it out of the elements. Is it best to run it under the carpet or through the cavities in the metal bodywork of the car?
Does anybody have any hints or tips that could help me run this airline? I have never installed a train horn before and this airline business is very new to me. I have no issues with electrical, I just want to get this pipe from the back to the front of my car!
I’ve attached a photo of my car, to give you some idea of what we are dealing with. I hope that helps.
Well it’s not like running RCA cables or thin remote wire for an amp. I doubt your hose would fit under the door sill mouldings. If you try to run the hose inside, you’ll have a lump in your carpet. I tried to run a big power wire under my carpet & ripped it out in 5 minutes.
So the best suggestion I have is to find a place to exit the rear of the vehicle and run it outside. Stay away from hot exhaust. If you’re concerned, you can cover it with split loom or something fancy like Techflex.
If you’re totally lost on the routing, look at the fuel lines and brake lines.
Cheers for the info, mate. Thanks for the tip about following the fuel and brake line routing, too. That will save me a bit of hassle. I think I will drill a hole in the sidewall of the tire well (not underneath where my fuel tank is) and run it through there. I don’t suppose you would have any tips for drilling a roughly 13mm hole through steel would you? I don’t have a hole cutting bit for steel, only a wood bit. Also, should I use a large rubber grommet to protect the hose, or could I just wrap it in 10 layers of duct tape and make it a “push tight fit?” Thanks for your help, mate. It’s very much appreciated!
Hey… another Aussie - welcome mate!
I agree with E2E, run it under the car. The big Falc has plenty of nooks and crannies to run underneath and then just pop up where you need to. Following the fuel line is another good idea. Just use heavy duty zip ties.
It is roughly 8mm I.D. and is a very tight fit onto a 10mm barb connector. I managed to run the hose through the cabin, underneath the carpet. My main reason for wanting to keep the hose inside the cabin is to prevent people from tampering with my air system, as my horns will also be mounted under the bonnet so that the car looks completely stock from the outside and from underneath.
I am going to double clamp the hose on each barb connection to make sure the hose doesn’t pop off. Also I am going to drill 5 or 6 holes in my firewall in a circular shape, then cut out a circle for the hose to fit through. I am hoping that by running the hose up behind the rear of the back seat, I am not putting too much pressure on the hose, so as to make it restrict airflow. But only time will tell. I am probably going to hook up the compressor and tank in the car tomorrow, right now they are just sitting in the back. I have also ran a mechanical pressure gauge to just below the cigarette lighter. I can’t wait to see what questions people ask me when they see the gauge. Haha.
Thanks a lot for your help, guys. I will keep you posted on my progress and any problems I may run into.
G’day, mate! I just have a 5gal (20L) air tank, 150psi eBay (el cheapo) compressor, 10mm I.D. air line (single line) and some cheap chrome quad train horns from eBay. I will upgrade them once I get tired of them. I would love to ge a K5LA, but that’s a bit out of my price range at the moment.
Get a Shocker XL set through hornblasters. Best budget option out there. Aussie dollar’s down a bit at the moment so just save up for a while until it recovers.
As much as I would love one, I have already spent about $500 on this setup, so I would hate to have to spend another $500 or so on it. I may consider getting on in the future, maybe by then they will be cheaper.
I got the airline run from the rear of the cabin to the driver’s footwell area. I just have to drill out a hole big enough for the air line to run into the engine bay, where I will be mounting the train horns vertically in the large cavity on the exhaust side of the engine (as far from the exhaust manifold heat shield as possible!).
Anyway, wish me luck, guys and I will keep you updated on my progress. Thanks a lot for all of you help and advice and thanks for sharing your experiences! It’s very much appreciated and has already saved me a lot of time!
Haha.
