So after experiencing a train horn once, I have been dying to get one. I have jumped through many hoops to get my system and to get it installed. I was super excited when I finally got it installed on my car, but after playing with it I have realized that it isn’t as loud as it should/could be. I think my air flow is good enough. Do I need more horns?
I installed my horn on my Chrysler Crossfire, which is a miracle that I could find a an inconspicuous spot for my 26 inch air horn. I don’t know how many more horns I could fit. But this is my setup.
I have a 26in Hadley Ambassador mounted in my front bumper, and the business end of my horn is pretty much in the wheel well of my passenger front tire. I have a 1/4 inch air hose running through my fire wall, and next to my gear shifter. At my gear shifter I installed a little air valve, which I think has nothing to do with my problem, but it might be relevant to you guys. My 1/4 hose then runs hidden into my cargo space. I have a 5 gallon (High quality, can’t remember brand name) 125 PSI air tank. To fill up my tank I have a 120v craftsman compressor. I have the 120v because I don’t want to put a strain on my alternator/battery, and it isn’t a big deal to fill up my tank before I leave.
This system sounds really good, but it just isn’t loud enough. I can scare people when they are within 10 yards of my car. I want to get it better because it is so ironic having a little car with a train horn. I can upload a video, or pictures, I just need your guy’s help so I can get the system I’ve been wanting.
Welcome to the forum. I’m afraid if you want to get that train horn sound and volume, then a single horn ain’t gonna cut it. Have a look at the Shocker kits from Hornblasters. They are undoubtedly the cheapest and best way to get close to a real train horn.
You already have a 5 gal tank so just look at getting the horns perhaps and sell your Hadley. It also sounds like you’re running a mains voltage type home compressor through an inverter I’m assuming. That’s no good as they tend to create large amperage spikes which neither your inverter or the alternator on the car will appreciate. Look at buying a proper 12v compressor (the viair range is probably the best choice if on a tight budget)
^^DBO - I think he just fills his tank at home w/ 120v…
I agree with DBO, there probably isn’t anything “wrong” with your current setup. It’s doing what it was designed to do. To truly get louder, you’ll need some new horns.
I know a Crossfire is small, but could you get 2 horns in the front bumper? One towards the passenger wheelwell (like you have now) and one towards the driver’s wheelwell…? The Rocker kit uses 2 of the Shocker horns and is seriously loud. You wouldn’t even need the whole kit since you have a tank - just buy 2 horns and maybe some fittings & airline.
It still won’t sound like a train, but it sounds like you just want to be loud.
Welcome and feel free to ask any questions.
Thank you guys for the quick response! It has already pointed me in the right direction. To Clarify, I have an extension cord in my drive way and when I am home I plug in my 120v compressor so that I don’t have a strain on my vehicle. Ear2Ear- I would be pushing it, but I do believe I could get another horn or two in there. I would probably only be able to get away with a horn(s) 10-13in long.
I do have a couple more questions.
(1) Is a train/air horn directional? Since my horn is pointing out my passenger side, can people infront/behind me not hear it as loud?
(2) When I do connect more horns, do I just put a “T” adapter in the hose and wire it to the horns? Right now I am pushing 120 PSI to one horn, if I get two horns would they only be getting 60 PSI each? Or three horns at 40 PSI? Is that how it works?
(3) I completely understand that this is an expensive business and you get what you pay for. I am willing to do what it takes to get a good system. Id have to start selling firearms ): which I would like to avoid if I could. I have $80 on hand right now, is there an alternative to getting a horn or two for that kind of money?
(4) Last question, I promise! I have tried out 3 different air tanks, all with different qualities, prices and size. All of them had an air flow valve, so I could turn the air on/off. When I leave the tanks in the on position, and come back to it the next day they are empty. Is this a common problem? I mean all 3 tanks did it, so I doubt it would be a defect. The tank I have now was $60, it is high quality but it still does the same thing. I am having to turn the valve on/off throughout the day. Is there a way around this?
It is somewhat directional. But, when dealing with truly loud horns, I would say it’s more important to not block them than the actual direction they are pointing.
Yes a tee fitting would work great for just a couple horns. What really matters is flow. The air volume is being divided by the horns. True - you will get more pressure drop with more horns, but they are consuming volume. You could probably get by with your 1/4" I.D. rubber hose for 2 horns, but at some point (3 or 4 horns) you should increase your airlines.
You’re gonna spend a few bucks. I would save and get what yo want. This is already your second time. The Rocker kit is around $180 but you probably don’t need the valve or airline. Your $80 is getting pretty close to buying 2 raw horns. They measure 12.75" and 14.75"…
When you leave the valve open, the air must be leaking from a couple of your fittings. It’s common, so you have to spray a soapy water solution over all your fittings and look for bubbles which show you the leaks. Loctite 545 is about the best thread sealant anyone has come up with.
The term “you get what you pay for” is true in most cases. The shocker/rocker horns are extremely loud, sound just like a horn and are in an awesome price range.
As these awesome guys stated, there probably is nothing wrong with your current system. You may look into upgrading to a larger air line and valve but only if the port on the hadley allows it. (If it’s a 1/4" port, then that’s all it will allow).
As for room, we have had a customer (on here as well) put the shocker kit on a smart car! When there is a will, there is a way!
As far as your questions,
As long as they aren’t muffled, direction is no problemo. We never recommend facing forward but this doesn’t sound like it would be the case anyway.
2)Running a T is no problem if you plan on adding to your current horn. The pounds built up in the tank is depleting all at once no matter where the air is going. Each horn will get the same amount of pressure.
3)$80.00 is tight for sure. Our rocker and shocker horns take 5/16" air line so you would need a reducer fitting from the 1/4" line (usually reduced and split at the solenoid) and extra 5/16" line. Each horn individually are $40.00 a piece. Then whatever other component you would need.
I’m sorry I didn’t respond sooner, I have been waiting to see what I was going to do about my horns. I spent a night messing around on ebay bidding on horns. One of the auctions I ending up bidding on was 2 13in Hadley horns, I put in the starting bid of $25 and no one bid against me so I ended winning them for dirt cheap! I know this isn’t what you guys suggested, but after thinking about it I ended up paying for them because of the cheap price. I just got them in today and they sound great! Although I have more of a “truck” horn system instead of a “train”, it might give me what I want which is loudness.
I am going to run to the hardware store and get more hose and “T” joints and try to figure out where I am going to mount them. I figure 2 13in and a 26in Hadley should sound okay unless the two different frequencies don’t go together, but even if they don’t I’ll take the horns out and give them to a friend. I’ll upload a video to get your guy’s opinion.
I hope I don’t regret going against your advice, but if I do then it was only a $25 mistake.
You need to ditch the 1/4 air line and go with 1/2 air line. I used to use 1/4 air line on my grovers 1045 and 1042, but I upgraded to all 1/2 inch air line and HOLY MOLY! BIG Difference!
One problem after another D: I finally got all three horns hooked up, but when I would test them only one of the smaller horns would blow and I was getting super frustrated with it because everything seemed to be hooked up flawlessly with sealants and hose clamps. After trouble shooting I discovered I made a stupid mistake. I had a 1/4 inch line running to an adapter, and the adapter would have a 3/8 inch line going to each of the three horns. I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought the 1/4in, but now it is time to upgrade that. I hope I have no more problems and I can really hear what it is supposed to sound like!
Hope that solves the problem for you, but keep in mind that splitting your air flow across different horn types is likely to result in issues. It’s kind of like electricity… the flow will go through the path of least resistance. So if one of your horns is flowing through more readily than the others it will consume most of the air.
You may need to look at getting small regulator taps on each of your three output lines so you can balance the air flow going to each horn.
DBO^^ I was thinking that could be my problem too. I don’t know if the higher frequency will trump the lower frequency, but I couldn’t hear my big horn. Can you tell me more about the regulator taps? I tried doing a Google search on them, but I couldn’t find any results.
One thing I was thinking about, could the base of my horns all be the same? I don’t know what the part of the horn is called, but where it takes in the air and makes all the noise. They are all exactly the same size and perfectly identical to each other. Could they maybe just have different trumpets on the same hardware, and there for have the same air “consumption”?
Should I go from a 1/4in line to 3/8, or try the regulators, or both?
Nothing fancy… and by no means a proper regulator - I just meant something like a small ball valve or type of tap. Here’s a couple of examples: Just so you can turn down the lines individually.
