Hi,
​​​​​​ I'm trying to get the horn working on my 1969 Vista Cruiser. However, I'm not sure it even has the correct steering wheel, and if I can get the horn to work with the current configuration.

I've attached:
1. Photo of the steering wheel. Is that correct for this wagon?
2. Photo of the wheel with the pad off. There are three wires. The wire from the hub has 12V to it, and if I ground it against the wheel, the horns work. Good sign? The other two wires seem to come from the side of the wheel and have corrodes metal tabs where they attach to the wheel. They are not continuous/wired together.
3. Photo of the attachment of the two wires to the rim of the wheel
4. Photo of the back of the wheel pad. I'm not sure how a horn would work/be activated with this metal backed pad?

The previous owner mentioned it was a rim blow and he couldn't find parts, but I don't see how this would be a rim blow horn.

Thanks for any guidance! Even if this isn't correct, any thoughts on how to get the horns working?

Steering wheel and pad. It's in bad condition and has a lot of cracks in the plastic.

Three wires are present. The one in the middle, if grounded, sounds the horns.

Not sure what these wires do, and I can't tell mich with the wheel wrap on.

The back of the pad. It's solid, not sure how a horn button would be pressed.

 

It looks like the horn contact ring is missing, the wire you are grounding attaches to it and the ring makes contact to ground when the pad is pushed causing the ring to compress

Good luck!!!

 

That appears to be the rare optional rim-blow steering wheel, which is why there are wires going to the rim. The center pad is also a contact. There is no horn contact ring used with this steering wheel. The contacts are integral to the pad and the rim. Your problem is that your wiring has been mucked up. Inside the pad are two metal plates separated by insulators and springs. One of those plates connects to the wire coming out of the hub. The other plate is grounded to the metal structure of the wheel. The rim-blow feature unfortunately appears to be damaged, which is not unusual. This can be repaired by specialists, but don't expect any change from a $1,000 dollar bill. I would either try to reconnect the wire to the pad or find a replacement pad.

 

Joe, Can the contact spring be added to it?

 

Thanks for all the information- at least I know it is a (potentially) correct part and can now look it up in the CSM.

​​​​​​I got quoted $1000 by a shop in Texas to restore the wheel, and that was before I know it was a rim blow horn. Curious - what specialists would you recommend for restoration?

I'm not about to spend that much on the steering wheel, but it's good to know where it could be fixed eventually. Or to get advice for trying to restore it myself.

 

Yeah, after reading up on rim blow horns, sounds like there a finicky feature from the start. Thoughts on how to convert to a typical center pad horn?