Alright, Well seeing how I don’t think anyone has ever put train horns on a Buick rendezvous before I’m having a hard time trying to figure out how to do it. So far I’m thinking of putting the compressor in the trunk and the horns where the spare tire is supposed to go.
With the air compressor though… seeing how its inside the car could anyone guide me to the best way of mounting it cause I don’t even know how to start with that. Thanks
Welcome to the forum. There should be plenty of examples under “Your horns & installs”. I’m not adept at installs, I know compressors, but these guys are usually very helpful.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of room to play with behind the seats, so the first question I had is, where are you planning to put the tank? It’s the largest component to find room for.
I would try mounting the tank and compressor on a flat board (sized to fit the tank footprint) as the two need to stay in close proximity to one another. You can even go vertical and mount compressor on top of tank. Once you have the pair on a platform or bracket you can then start playing around with various spots to see where it fits.
Have a look at the Suzuki Swift install (link in my footer) I did on the wife’s car. Not my best work, but it’s functional. The tank and compressor sit on a board which can be easily removed if you unplug the wiring and main air line. Apart from that it just sits on the side of the boot and stuff gets piled around it when we load up the trunk. For a while I thought about building a box enclosure around it but … eh. It works and I haven’t got around to making it any prettier. If you like things tidy and invisible, consider a false or raised floor idea.
Now, for the horns… I wouldn’t put them into the spare wheel well. Firstly, you loose your ability to carry a spare which apart from making the car unroadworthy, well…, uhm… sux big time when you get a flat. Secondly you have to consider that these horns are incredibly loud and you really don’t want them sounding into the cabin, which is probably what they’ll do unless you cut a whopping great big hole into the floor of the spare tire compartment.
Have a look underneath the front of the car. The beaut thing about the Shockers is their ability to be split mounted. Be prepared to take the front bumper off as you’d be surprised how much room there is in various spots around the front of cars these days.
I believe that is the cxl version of the rendezvous Because I have only 4 seats total with actually quite a bit of room in the trunk.
This is what my trunk looks like. And I figured because I have space in the back for the compressor to keep the horns nearby.
The spare tire holder is under the car and I thought if I have the horns facing out let’s say to the right that the horns would not just amplify within the car But shoot out the side. Also when I took the spare tire off from under the car I planned to just toss it in the trunk.
Finally would you happen to have a picture on what you mean by The board that your compressor sits on? Like what I’m thinking right now is getting a thick piece of wood or metal and putting it under the carpet and bolting the compressor down to it.
Thank you very much for your help/tips by the way. I’m all new to the world of train horns and everything helps
Yeah… wow, that’s HEAPS of room. No problems there.
Nothing special about the board I used. The idea is just simpler so you don’t need to drill into or through the car floor to mount the tank and compressor. Just use a sheet of ply, MDF or any bit of lumber you have lying around.
Just have it thick enough so you can recess any bolt heads (from underneath) or get a firm enough grip with some screws. Then just one hole through the board and bolt it to the floor of the car. Another hole for your main air line leading to the solenoid and perhaps one more for your wiring.
If your spare wheel point is external with open air then, yea that’ll work. Don’t have to keep the horns and compressor close together. Use the supplied air line to run from the tank to the solenoid and then to the spider fitting that splits the lines. That can be at the front of the car if you have room there - no worries. From the manifold you just want to be mindful to keep the 5/16" tubing roughly the same length going out to each horn. That way they’ll all sound together.
It sounds like you’re on the right track. The 228VX kit comes with the compressor pre-mounted onto the tank which does make install of the air system easier in an SUV.
These wonderful guys/gals are feeding you very informative information and have you on the right track no doubt. On top of the install section on the forum, you can also check our install gallery on our site for tips and pictures that other customer’s have sent in, including SUVs.
To the op: remove some of those panels in the trunk area and see what kind of room you have in there. Or you might need to mount it under the car and the tank inside or vice versa. With the tank mounted on the compressor is gunna leave you LESS room to accomplish this mount in the best way.
Just to note, we do not advise removing the compressor from the tank as it may void the manufacturer warranty. It has been done, but just for your information
