(Very Loud) Air Horn Install - The Ford Focus Forum

**dustinbleh** · 10-25-2009, 09:30 PM

Not sure if anyone else would ever want to do this, but i figured i would do a quick write up on it just in case.

I picked up an air horn from someone on craigslist for $10 the other day, and decided to try and install it. My stock horn was removed some time ago, so I figured it would be better than nothing! You can normally find these types of air horns for $20-$50+, just depends on how loud you want.

Here are the materials needed for this installation:

-Air Horn kit. a good place to go is harbor freight tools, autozone, checker, etc..JC whitney is also a good place.

-30 amp or higher inline fuse holder

-i used two of these "Quiksnap" connectors, because you can retain the stock horn connector in case you ever want to go back the stock setup

-Zip Ties. The more the merrier!

-2 female spade connectors

-2 horn mounting brackets. one should be on the stock horn, one can be had at auto parts stores, junk yards, etc. you can always fab one as well.

-Hardware: I needed two nut/bolt pairs one for horn to bracket, one for bracket to frame.. its always good to have a couple of extras and some washers, etc..

ok, so to start off with, you will want to assemble your cables. For the power (red+) cable, assemble it in this order:

Spade conn=inline fuse holder w/30A fuse=wire (14g is good)

Negative cable (black -)

Spade=wire (14g)

Now you want both of these to be around 3 feet total in length so you have plenty of slack to reach the horn connector.

You will also want about 3 feet of hose (i used 5/16 ID clear plastic hose purchased @ lowes, but usually the horn kit will have some with it).

So now that you have everything purchased that you will need, we can start the installation. This will be much easier if you have the car up on jackstands or on a lift. *NEVER* leave the car jacked up and crawl under it without jackstands!

1. Unplug and remove the stock horn unit, and remove the mounting bracket.

2. Next, shape the horn mounting bracket as needed to accomodate the larger air horn. You will need to find somewhere to mout the horn under the car. You can see where I mounted mine HERE:

This is the view from underneath the drivers side of the vehicle. The horns trumpets point forwards towards the lower grill, beside the radiator/condenser.

3. Now that you have the horn mounted, its time to mount the compressor. I mounted mine using an extra horn bracket that i had. It is mounted high in the engine compartment, near the battery. This way its up away from splashes and debris. I used the upper headlight screw to attach the bracket to.

4.Next you will connect the two wires to the corresponding connectors on the bottom of the compressor and insert a 30A fuse into the holder. Now route the wires down to the area near the horn connector. Be careful to keep the wires away from especially Hot areas of the engine compartment, zip tie where needed to keep them away from moving parts. Its a good idea to connect the hose to the compressor and route it with the wires.

5. Now cut off any slack from the hose and connect it to the horn.

6. Next size up the wires to the horn connector and cut off any excess.
Use the quiksnap connectors to splice the wires together (On my car it went Black-Black, and Red-Orange/Green). Zip tie up the horn connector and wires out of the way, and away from hot/moving parts.

And that should be it! With this installation method, the horn will work with your normal horn switch inside of your steering wheel. Go ahead and give it a try!

If it doesnt work for any reason, check the connectors to the rear of the compressor and at the horn connector.

7. Have fun! Hope this was informative... Please post any questions/comments!

PS-Here is another pic of the horns mounting location. Fit perfectly!

**SVTRSST** · 10-25-2009, 09:37 PM

lol so its loud?

i just installed a police siren in my svt lmao, its fun

**faster_than_u** · 10-25-2009, 09:48 PM

police siren? sweet how did you get one of those?

**dustinbleh** · 10-25-2009, 10:00 PM

LOL thats sick.. i see those police sirens on Craigslist all the time.. as well as lightbars and alll kinds of other stuff..

but yeah its pretty damn loud!

**SVTRSST** · 10-25-2009, 10:27 PM

i got a vcon code 3 siren, i got it from ebay, i think its now illegal to sell them, mine was custom installed with extended push switches and all, so if i get caught at least they will have a hard time finding it lol

**dustinbleh** · 10-26-2009, 02:20 AM

Nice

i could definitely see having fun with that.. i bet you can really scare some people.. thinking they are getting pulled over, but with no cop around lol..

**SVTRSST** · 10-26-2009, 02:42 AM

lol you should see all the ricers i scare HOHO

**o2_designs** · 10-26-2009, 12:43 PM

My bro wants one...he honks at everyone he sees walking on the street...lmao...

**SVT3658** · 10-26-2009, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by o2_designs

My bro wants one...he honks at everyone he sees walking on the street...lmao...

For that you need this

**SVT04EAP** · 10-26-2009, 03:51 PM

or this...

**LornesBored** · 10-26-2009, 09:19 PM

these are all illegal.

be carefull

**dustinbleh** · 10-26-2009, 10:05 PM

of course they are... but so are all of the other "fun" upgrades for our cars..

**SVTRSST** · 10-26-2009, 10:54 PM

omg ill sell my siren, i need a train horn

edit: just checked their site and its not worth it lol

**dustinbleh** · 10-26-2009, 11:53 PM

I know right? i was looking on CL and found a full setup with tank and compressors and 3 trumpet horns for $500... I was like PEACE!

**SVT3658** · 10-27-2009, 12:10 PM

You gotta pay to play....

But mounting those large train horns would be a BITCH on a Focus! (if you want it to look good, that is)

**Tobyboom** · 10-27-2009, 04:39 PM

There are cheaper ways to do this...

This is what I did for my car. I have an air compressor at home, so I saved a lot of money by not having to buy a compressor. I just fill up the air tank in the car every few days. I also left the factory horn on the car JUST in case I run out of air.

Parts:

1: 5 Gallon Air Tank: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=65594 (you can use larger tanks, aluminum tanks, etc but I did it the CHEAPEST way. The 5 gallon tanks can actually be found cheaper as well)

2: Air horn Kit: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=40134 (you can also look on ebay for larger/louder horns)

3: 12v 1/4" air Solenoid http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRAIN...Q5fAccessories

4: 1/4" POLY TUBING which can be had from any local hardware store. I got mine from home depot.

5: A few miscellaneous barb fittings and wiring.

On the air tank, the hose that it comes with has a tire chuck on the end of the hose. That hose gets removed and replaced with a barb fitting. Attach the poly tubing to that and run it to where you decide to mount the 12v solenoid. From that point on, you should have an idea of what you're doing.

All together, I think I have about $60 into the whole thing, and trust me, its plenty loud. I'll try to find a good location to take some videos this weekend.

**SVTRSST** · 10-27-2009, 04:47 PM

ohh i was just thinking about that, but what about us, the people that doesnt have air compressors, can i just go to a gas station and get air from there? ( i can get it free, but i know some need to pay)

or do i need a higher pressure

**Dimitri** · 10-27-2009, 05:45 PM

WHAT! love the boat horn! Can you imagine the people down in the valley? WTF is there a boat in the hills? HAHAHAHAHA

**Tobyboom** · 10-27-2009, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVTRSST

ohh i was just thinking about that, but what about us, the people that doesnt have air compressors, can i just go to a gas station and get air from there? ( i can get it free, but i know some need to pay)

or do i need a higher pressure

Yes, you can fill the air tank at any gas station that has air. The air tank has a fill valve just like a tire.

**SVTRSST** · 10-27-2009, 06:57 PM

oh nice, and what about the horns, what is the bigest horn i can go with if im using a 5 galon tank?

**TXFO** · 10-27-2009, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dustinbleh

-i used two of these "Quiksnap" connectors, because you can retain the stock horn connector in case you ever want to go back the stock setup

Never ever use these. They are garbage and do nothing but cut wires.

**Tobyboom** · 10-27-2009, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVTRSST

oh nice, and what about the horns, what is the bigest horn i can go with if im using a 5 galon tank?

You could use the biggest horn you can find.... Just not for very long. The 5 gallon tank usually lasts me a week or so, but I dont use it ALL That much. Also keep in mind that just a 10-20psi drop in tank pressure makes a pretty big difference in actual loudness.

**venomrogue** · 10-27-2009, 11:18 PM

dont pay for air at a gas station...

any tire shop (Sears, firestone, ntb, discount tire) offers it free.

**dustinbleh** · 10-28-2009, 03:23 AM

DIMITRI...

lol i liked that boat horn as well..that thing is some kinda loud!

SVTRSST...

and the horns that are offered usually have some PSI limit that they can use without being damaged, so if you have a 125psi tank, you want to have a 125 psi or higher air horn. that should be easy to find though.

TXFO...

asfar as the quiksnap connectors.. i find that as long as i use the correct size of connector, i do not have problems with them cutting wires. I like them in projects like this because i can retain the stock connectors, in case a potential buyer doesnt like the "upgrade".

**jayrod16** · 10-29-2009, 08:13 PM

do you have any other bigger pictures of where the horns are mounted? i have an airhorn and bracket ready to go but havent found a secure spot to mount it yet.

10-25-2009, 09:30 PM	#1 (permalink)
dustinbleh TEAM Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 176	(Very Loud) Air Horn Install Not sure if anyone else would ever want to do this, but i figured i would do a quick write up on it just in case. I picked up an air horn from someone on craigslist for $10 the other day, and decided to try and install it. My stock horn was removed some time ago, so I figured it would be better than nothing! You can normally find these types of air horns for $20-$50+, just depends on how loud you want. Here are the materials needed for this installation: -Air Horn kit. a good place to go is harbor freight tools, autozone, checker, etc..JC whitney is also a good place. -30 amp or higher inline fuse holder -i used two of these "Quiksnap" connectors, because you can retain the stock horn connector in case you ever want to go back the stock setup -Zip Ties. The more the merrier! -2 female spade connectors -2 horn mounting brackets. one should be on the stock horn, one can be had at auto parts stores, junk yards, etc. you can always fab one as well. -Hardware: I needed two nut/bolt pairs one for horn to bracket, one for bracket to frame.. its always good to have a couple of extras and some washers, etc.. ok, so to start off with, you will want to assemble your cables. For the power (red+) cable, assemble it in this order: Spade conn=inline fuse holder w/30A fuse=wire (14g is good) Negative cable (black -) Spade=wire (14g) Now you want both of these to be around 3 feet total in length so you have plenty of slack to reach the horn connector. You will also want about 3 feet of hose (i used 5/16 ID clear plastic hose purchased @ lowes, but usually the horn kit will have some with it). So now that you have everything purchased that you will need, we can start the installation. This will be much easier if you have the car up on jackstands or on a lift. *NEVER* leave the car jacked up and crawl under it without jackstands! 1. Unplug and remove the stock horn unit, and remove the mounting bracket. 2. Next, shape the horn mounting bracket as needed to accomodate the larger air horn. You will need to find somewhere to mout the horn under the car. You can see where I mounted mine HERE: This is the view from underneath the drivers side of the vehicle. The horns trumpets point forwards towards the lower grill, beside the radiator/condenser. 3. Now that you have the horn mounted, its time to mount the compressor. I mounted mine using an extra horn bracket that i had. It is mounted high in the engine compartment, near the battery. This way its up away from splashes and debris. I used the upper headlight screw to attach the bracket to. 4.Next you will connect the two wires to the corresponding connectors on the bottom of the compressor and insert a 30A fuse into the holder. Now route the wires down to the area near the horn connector. Be careful to keep the wires away from especially Hot areas of the engine compartment, zip tie where needed to keep them away from moving parts. Its a good idea to connect the hose to the compressor and route it with the wires. 5. Now cut off any slack from the hose and connect it to the horn. 6. Next size up the wires to the horn connector and cut off any excess. Use the quiksnap connectors to splice the wires together (On my car it went Black-Black, and Red-Orange/Green). Zip tie up the horn connector and wires out of the way, and away from hot/moving parts. And that should be it! With this installation method, the horn will work with your normal horn switch inside of your steering wheel. Go ahead and give it a try! If it doesnt work for any reason, check the connectors to the rear of the compressor and at the horn connector. 7. Have fun! Hope this was informative... Please post any questions/comments! PS-Here is another pic of the horns mounting location. Fit perfectly! __________________ 2001 Blue ZX3 W/ M2 Performance Header and Flexpipe, OBX Muffler, Steeda fiberglass hood, eBay projector headlights JCM Racing #76

10-25-2009, 09:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
SVTRSST TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 633	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install lol so its loud? i just installed a police siren in my svt lmao, its fun __________________ 03 SVTF

10-25-2009, 09:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
faster_than_u TEAM Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 730	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install police siren? sweet how did you get one of those?

10-25-2009, 10:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
dustinbleh TEAM Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 176	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install LOL thats sick.. i see those police sirens on Craigslist all the time.. as well as lightbars and alll kinds of other stuff.. but yeah its pretty damn loud! __________________ 2001 Blue ZX3 W/ M2 Performance Header and Flexpipe, OBX Muffler, Steeda fiberglass hood, eBay projector headlights JCM Racing #76

10-25-2009, 10:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
SVTRSST TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 633	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install i got a vcon code 3 siren, i got it from ebay, i think its now illegal to sell them, mine was custom installed with extended push switches and all, so if i get caught at least they will have a hard time finding it lol __________________ 03 SVTF

10-26-2009, 02:20 AM	#6 (permalink)
dustinbleh TEAM Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 176	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install Nice i could definitely see having fun with that.. i bet you can really scare some people.. thinking they are getting pulled over, but with no cop around lol.. __________________ 2001 Blue ZX3 W/ M2 Performance Header and Flexpipe, OBX Muffler, Steeda fiberglass hood, eBay projector headlights JCM Racing #76

10-26-2009, 02:42 AM	#7 (permalink)
SVTRSST TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 633	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install lol you should see all the ricers i scare HOHO __________________ 03 SVTF

10-26-2009, 12:43 PM	#8 (permalink)
o2_designs Resident Wheel-Whore Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: mnfocus.com Posts: 11,153	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install My bro wants one...he honks at everyone he sees walking on the street...lmao... __________________ TUNED By FSWerks -- Parts by TOUSLEY Ford ~~BOOST CREW, Bottled Fresh since 2006 ~~ Vacuum Crew, Stirring things up since 2008~~

10-26-2009, 09:19 PM	#11 (permalink)
LornesBored [FJ] Special Ed. Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: West Van, BC, Canada Posts: 9,192	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install these are all illegal. be carefull

10-26-2009, 10:05 PM	#12 (permalink)
dustinbleh TEAM Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 176	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install of course they are... but so are all of the other "fun" upgrades for our cars.. __________________ 2001 Blue ZX3 W/ M2 Performance Header and Flexpipe, OBX Muffler, Steeda fiberglass hood, eBay projector headlights JCM Racing #76

10-26-2009, 10:54 PM	#13 (permalink)
SVTRSST TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 633	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install omg ill sell my siren, i need a train horn edit: just checked their site and its not worth it lol __________________ 03 SVTF

10-26-2009, 11:53 PM	#14 (permalink)
dustinbleh TEAM Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 176	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install I know right? i was looking on CL and found a full setup with tank and compressors and 3 trumpet horns for $500... I was like PEACE! __________________ 2001 Blue ZX3 W/ M2 Performance Header and Flexpipe, OBX Muffler, Steeda fiberglass hood, eBay projector headlights JCM Racing #76

10-27-2009, 12:10 PM	#15 (permalink)
SVT3658 MS Paint PWNS ME! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Jax FL Posts: 3,203	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install You gotta pay to play.... But mounting those large train horns would be a BITCH on a Focus! (if you want it to look good, that is) __________________ 2002 SVT Focus #3658 CD Silver with Red Inserts born on 7-30-2002 \| SVT3658 here, 02SilverSVT over there... *Join the SVT Owners Group!*

10-27-2009, 04:39 PM	#16 (permalink)
Tobyboom Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 4,064	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install There are cheaper ways to do this... This is what I did for my car. I have an air compressor at home, so I saved a lot of money by not having to buy a compressor. I just fill up the air tank in the car every few days. I also left the factory horn on the car JUST in case I run out of air. Parts: 1: 5 Gallon Air Tank: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=65594 (you can use larger tanks, aluminum tanks, etc but I did it the CHEAPEST way. The 5 gallon tanks can actually be found cheaper as well) 2: Air horn Kit: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=40134 (you can also look on ebay for larger/louder horns) 3: 12v 1/4" air Solenoid http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRAIN...Q5fAccessories 4: 1/4" POLY TUBING which can be had from any local hardware store. I got mine from home depot. 5: A few miscellaneous barb fittings and wiring. On the air tank, the hose that it comes with has a tire chuck on the end of the hose. That hose gets removed and replaced with a barb fitting. Attach the poly tubing to that and run it to where you decide to mount the 12v solenoid. From that point on, you should have an idea of what you're doing. All together, I think I have about $60 into the whole thing, and trust me, its plenty loud. I'll try to find a good location to take some videos this weekend. __________________ 2009 True Red MazdaSPEED3 2000 Black ZX3 with a custom hair dryer setup 1/4 Mile: 12.557 @ 112mph POWER: 302.25 HP 278.66 TQ

10-27-2009, 04:47 PM	#17 (permalink)
SVTRSST TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 633	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install ohh i was just thinking about that, but what about us, the people that doesnt have air compressors, can i just go to a gas station and get air from there? ( i can get it free, but i know some need to pay) or do i need a higher pressure __________________ 03 SVTF

10-27-2009, 05:45 PM	#18 (permalink)
Dimitri TEAM Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 333	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install WHAT! love the boat horn! Can you imagine the people down in the valley? WTF is there a boat in the hills? HAHAHAHAHA __________________ 2007 Pitch Black ZX3. Street Appearance Package, 17" EAP rims, Eibach Sportlines, F2 Sideskirts, 20% Tint.

10-27-2009, 06:57 PM	#20 (permalink)
SVTRSST TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 633	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install oh nice, and what about the horns, what is the bigest horn i can go with if im using a 5 galon tank? __________________ 03 SVTF

10-27-2009, 11:18 PM	#23 (permalink)
venomrogue Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,275	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install dont pay for air at a gas station... any tire shop (Sears, firestone, ntb, discount tire) offers it free. __________________ Old and Busted: 2002 Fully built Powerworks ZX3 New Hotness: 2004 Comp Orange JRSC SVT As well as TWO 2002 Red SVT's Parts by Karl @ Massive Speed System (www.massivespeedsystem.com) Tuning and porting by Mark @ Skidmark Racing (turbof150.com)

10-28-2009, 03:23 AM	#24 (permalink)
dustinbleh TEAM Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 176	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install DIMITRI... lol i liked that boat horn as well..that thing is some kinda loud! SVTRSST... and the horns that are offered usually have some PSI limit that they can use without being damaged, so if you have a 125psi tank, you want to have a 125 psi or higher air horn. that should be easy to find though. TXFO... asfar as the quiksnap connectors.. i find that as long as i use the correct size of connector, i do not have problems with them cutting wires. I like them in projects like this because i can retain the stock connectors, in case a potential buyer doesnt like the "upgrade". __________________ 2001 Blue ZX3 W/ M2 Performance Header and Flexpipe, OBX Muffler, Steeda fiberglass hood, eBay projector headlights JCM Racing #76

10-29-2009, 08:13 PM	#25 (permalink)
jayrod16 Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Pottstown, PA Posts: 1,179	Re: (Very Loud) Air Horn Install do you have any other bigger pictures of where the horns are mounted? i have an airhorn and bracket ready to go but havent found a secure spot to mount it yet. __________________ The New Car!!----->>http://forums.focaljet.com/vehicles-...-fanatics.html

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