1977 C3 Corvette Horn Button Repair, Replacement, and Installation

This video shows a complete repair, successful replacement, and installation of the horn mechanism of a C3 Corvette with a tilt and telescopic steering wheel. Lots of good close-ups and description of the process throughout the video. Drive and test at the end of the video.
Corvette Depot: www.corvettedepot.ca

[@ricksteal]

Finally a good video with where the relay goes, thank you

[@06Justmarc]

The best video on reference to the C3 horn..

[@Motorcycology]

Thanks for your comment. That was one of my earlier videos . I'm sure I could do a better one now ....maybe a re-do this spring, but with that said,.my horn works fine now and all good... except for the 100 things with this C3 that I'm currently working on lol. Thanks again for watching the videos . J

[@joeplaceres5783]

Awesome Video... Super detailed!

[@Motorcycology]

Thansk , it was one of my earlier videos and I'm thinking of renewing this video on my other 1977 C3 which late last fall...the horn stopped working lol. I'll be doing that video once the Spring arrives and I get the other C3 out of winter storage . That is for watching and sending in a comment. J

[@brianko345]

Add this to my comment, the black insulator has a little tab on the side of it that once you push it down you must turn it clockwise to lock it in. Best done by removing the steering wheel and cover behind it. If you got it right you can push the eyelet (nail looking thing) in and it will spring back out with insulator (black thing) staying in place.

[@Motorcycology]

Great comments and I'll make sure to do this to my horn mechanism and while doing so, make an update to the video. Much appreciated. J

[@brianko345]

Just a heads up, the spring goes in first, the eyelet (thing that looks like a short nail)goes in second with the head first against the top of the spring (big end towards the dash) then the insulator (little black thing). the long thin part of the eyelet goes through the black insulator towards you.

[@inell6]

Correct

[@patsummertime7942]

@@inell6 The video shows it incorrectly then correct. he did not put the nail looking thing head down on the spring. looks like is was placed on upside down. Just bought a new horn kit and want to be sure. Thanks in advance

[@Motorcycology]

Oh, that's interesting and something I will look into. Too easy to make that switch. If all works out well as per your comment, I'll edit my video with the new info and repost. Thanks Brain. J

[@GJJC13]

Another great video! Questions: a) why were you not happy with the first repair? b) what improvement did you notice with the new parts? c) what are those shims for??? Thanks!

[@Motorcycology]

Nothing seemed to fit properly with the first repair, so I got some new parts instead of reusing my old parts and it worked out well. My main issue was with the contacts and prior to the repair almost every time I turned the wheel sharp right our left (like when in a parking lots, or backing out of my driveway, sure enough the horn would go off. It's fixed now, thankfully.

[@GJJC13]

@@Motorcycology Wow... Yes, I also bought the new parts and problem fixed. Keep up with the great videos.

[@daviddetman5575]

I was hoping to see the order in which the horn button is put together as mine was broken and parts missing when I got it.

[@Motorcycology]

I'll see if I can make a short video showing that. Good idea.

[@200hit]

Going to check mines out too.. My horn does not work.. I think it's the relay.. Thanks for the video

[@Motorcycology]

Could be the relay as well. Not hard to source a new relay if you need one.

[@200hit]

@@Motorcycology Cool mines is an 82

[@GJJC13]

I just fixed mine. It was that one horn was in short and the other simply dead. First, just test if you have 12V to the wire that goes to the horn, when you press the horn button. If so, it is just the horn/s. If not, then I would check the relay. Lastly, the button.

[@mundorueda9402]

Would you be so kind to provide names of/and replacement parts number you ordered and from where? Thanks a lot for video. It was very detailed!

[@Motorcycology]

I got my parts at Corvettedepot.ca, but you can also source from Corvettecentral.com. I've showed the parts and part numbers in the video, but will update the parts in the decsription.

[@mundorueda9402]

@@Motorcycology Thanks

[@jeffreyplacido3690]

How do you install the horn cap? I recently bought a new one.

[@Motorcycology]

The horn cap just presses on to the horn button mechanism below where the horn cap will be. It's just a press and clip system. Very easy to do.

[@williesteele4503]

I have a not working horn on my 78 Corvette. Not sure if it's the relay? (where is the relay?) or the horn spring. But, watching you was Not an "easy" fix. that's some complicated surgery you did with all those little pieces. you would think in 1978 GM could have made a simple horn easier to repair. I am going to have to watch this video while I am doing the repair just to remember all of that.

[@GJJC13]

Totally agree. Why didn't the "engineers" just use a regular button and instead, made this paraphernalia of parts just to make 2 parts make contact together? If it wasn't that I intend to keep it original (like everybody else, I guess), you can just buy horn buttons on Amazon for about $7.00

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Sadly from 2030 on all combustion cars including classics will be banned from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany the Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025 on by reducing all conventional fuel stations to only one state operated central gas station per city or county. Now they want to slow down all the gas station fuel pumps from 20 litre per minute to 2 litre per minute...From 2027 on in the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems, turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of crime here, called emissions and smoke crime.:-((////////

[@Motorcycology]

Wow, very interesting and ultimately excellent for this fragile global climate we live in. If you want an "eye opener" on emissions....go to some African and 3rd world places and you will be amazed at the amount of emissions being pumped into the air. Electric is the way to go. Big car companies still selling massive V8 diesels and gas engines in their 2022 models. Crazy stuff.