Horn Toggle Switch

[XDM999]

Hello all! I am extremely new to repairing classic cars and very eager to learn. I have a few mysteries that I can't quite solve with my car and was wondering if anyone could help.

Here's a little backround about my project. After my high school graduation I purchased my dream car, 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury. It's a coupe, with a 318 V8, Edelbrock Manifold carb, and Flowmaster dual exhaust. Two previous owners, sat in California until recently, and still has the original black-plates. I've been trying to repair it well enough to pass a Massachusett's Auto Inspection. I've replaced the battery, the coil, the fuel pump, fuel filter, and all of the fuel line with it. My driver's side rear window came off of it's track and I've been working on removing the paneling to repair all of the mechanics in it. I also plan on jacking it up, dropping the gas tank to flush it, and then welding or bolting some sheet metal into the truck pan since I recently discovered a large rust-hole. I've never driven it or ran the car with gas in the gas tank. I have ran the car by attaching my fuel line into a gas-can with my dad just to see how it started up.The list of things to repair keeps building...

I've started looking at my lights and other dash controls such as horns, windshield wipers, etc, since those all need to work in order to pass inspection. My horn does not work from the steering wheel. With further investigation I discover that it's actually connected to this toggle switch on the cab side of the fire wall. It isn't connected to anything on the dash, the toggle just hangs out of a hole by the floor panel on the passenger front side. I've switch it on while the key was turned and nothing sounded, I switched it on and hit the horn on the steering wheel and still nothing. There are two wires disconnected by the actual horn in the engine compartment, but they don't seem to be connected to anything. With the key turned I tried touching them to see if anything happened, and then tried touching them while having my mom lay on the horn and toggle. Nothing. 

Any advice? I don't really have anyone constantly at home that can take a look at these things so I need all the help I can get. I also have the Chrysler Factory Shop repair manual for it and take notes during episodes of Graveyard Cars on Motor Trend Network. I can take pictures and attach them if need be. Any suggestions are appreciated! 

Sincerely,

A First-Time Car Owner with a Love for Mopar

[John_Mereness]

An unfinished project ?  Perhaps horn is issue and they thought it the steering column ? Or, .... ?

[Bimus]

Fixing what others hove done is never easy good luck  with your car .

 

MO    PAR   TO  YA

[keiser31]

I would be searching for a wiring harness in order to have it all correct and uncut.

[JACK M]

The horns run thru a relay.

You can test the actual horns by touching a jumper from positive battery to the horn connection.

The relay will have battery power all of the time and to make the horns sound the button supplies a ground to the relay. Then the relay will supply the power to the horns.

If your horns are dead you should still be able to hear the relay click.

Its always tough to try and figure just what the last guy was trying to do.

[Jon37]

Having some car-savvy local friends would be quite helpful at a time like this.

 

Have you considered joining your local AACA region?  Also, there appears to be a national Plymouth club with a region in New England http://www.plymouthcarclub.com/ . 

 

Possibly you're already a member of either or both.  Online forums like this are great for getting information but there is nothing like having a real, live expert in autos of your car's era (especially one who knows about Plymouths) who lives nearby!

 

By the way, I hope you noticed that there are a couple forums here, which you might want to check out:  the Plymouth one  https://forums.aaca.org/forum/49-plymouth/ and the Chrysler Products one: https://forums.aaca.org/forum/40-chrysler-products-general/

[keiser31]

Do you have a factory shop manual for the car? It would really help.

[Lebowski]

Good luck with the Plymouth. We like pics here so please post some....

[certjeff1]

Like Jack said power your horns to see if they are good. Your horn relay should have 3 horn connections. 1 constant power, 1 to the horns and 1 from the horn button. Once you have the relay wired correctly to the horns. You will have 1 wire going up the column to the horn contact inside the steering wheel. If you ground that wire your horns will work. Is your steering wheel the original or has it been changed to an aftermarket? I see so many aftermarket, especially Grant brand, steering wheels where the horns do not work and they end up with a toggle like you have. With original steering wheels I find the contacts rusted and you do not get a good ground. With aftermarket steering wheels I find the horn contacts are not assembled correctly.