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Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2014 11:28 am
by steel16s
Picked up half the dual-tone setup out of a '95-'97 Avalon from my local u-pull-it junkyard. Plugged right in and was an improvement over the stock honker. Still, I might go back, get the other horn, and see if I can splice it in.

The stocker:


The Avalon:


Anybody got a more commanding horn setup?

Re: Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2014 5:20 pm
by vibrologist
They are pathetic, me thinks. If you combine them you have dual tone and that should help. I used Fiamm horns out of Ford and /or Volvo vehicles for my horn upgrade.

Re: Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2014 6:33 pm
by trb
That's a bit louder. I put one from a Mustang in both of the GTs so they had ('10) and have ('03) a much more robust sound, not the wimpy foreign car sound. I made a jumper harness to connect the two horns from the Mustang to the single horn connection on the Vibe.

Re: Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 10:03 am
by steel16s
Hmm. Well, the junkyard's close and it's only a buck to get in. I would love to go dual-tone. Would you guys recommend installing a relay between the horns and the fuse if I go that route?

Re: Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 10:08 am
by steel16s
vibrologist wrote:They are pathetic, me thinks. If you combine them you have dual tone and that should help. I used Fiamm horns out of Ford and /or Volvo vehicles for my horn upgrade.
You know, I tracked down some audio of Fiamm dual-tones and... yeah, I agree with you. Even the Avalon horn sounds like a rubber duck. Fords and Volvos came stock with the dual-tone Fiamms?

Re: Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 10:09 am
by steel16s
trb wrote:That's a bit louder. I put one from a Mustang in both of the GTs so they had ('10) and have ('03) a much more robust sound, not the wimpy foreign car sound. I made a jumper harness to connect the two horns from the Mustang to the single horn connection on the Vibe.
Are those horns by any chance Fiamms? What year Mustang did you get them out of?

Re: Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:07 pm
by vibrologist
Steel:
In my signature is the link to my Vibe. Scroll down and you find a picture of my modification. I found a mending plate that held both horns and that I bolted to a stronger bracket. The original bracket is too flimsy. I directly connected it to the original wire. The Fiamm's have marks to tell the sound: H for high an L for low. That could help when you hunt for the horns.
I think they haven't changed the design since eons. Ford used them since several decades. My 03 Windstar had the Fiamm dual tones. However they are hard to access. It is much easier to get to them on an older Volvo: they hang off the radiator carrier.

Re: Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 8:29 pm
by steel16s
Thanks, vibrologist. I doubt I'll have any trouble finding an old Volvo or two.

Re: Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 9:11 pm
by trb
steel16s wrote:
trb wrote:That's a bit louder. I put one from a Mustang in both of the GTs so they had ('10) and have ('03) a much more robust sound, not the wimpy foreign car sound. I made a jumper harness to connect the two horns from the Mustang to the single horn connection on the Vibe.
Are those horns by any chance Fiamms? What year Mustang did you get them out of?
Not sure about the kind, but they came from a 99-04 V6 Mustang. Luckily the front bumper cover was missing so it was one easy bolt to remove the horns and their mounting bracket. $5 was a great price and it bolted in the stock Vibe horn position. I think I had to bend the bracket, but it was easy to do.

Re: Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 11:22 am
by jayoldschool
The best horns you can find are the four note setup found in Cadillacs (and some Buicks) from the 70s-90s. Sounds like a train, no one will steal your parking spot. Easy install.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpGZ6gz1K78" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Avalon horn (sort of)

Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 6:59 pm
by steel16s
jayoldschool wrote:The best horns you can find are the four note setup found in Cadillacs (and some Buicks) from the 70s-90s. Sounds like a train, no one will steal your parking spot. Easy install.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpGZ6gz1K78" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
YES. These. Thanks Jay. I'll post again when they're installed!