On a lighter note: Flaming Air Horns!!

[Big White Beast]

Don't try this at home kids. Okay, Okay I have way too much time on my hands and the brain never stops running.



Went to a junk yard the other day and found some used air horns. After some tweaking I got them to work with the compressor in the garage. Anyway being too cheap to buy the whole set up I figure I can jury rig something to work for me. I bought one of those $10 plug in the cigarette lighter compressors at Wal-mart and figured to hardwire it somehow. Just need a limit switch. (Any help here for a cheap one?) Then I need a tank. Small enough to go under the hood or by the bumper so I start thinking a used propane bottle. Good enough for a couple of toots and the compressor could refill it.



Here's where the brain takes off and says hey, why not just run em on propane?? I really wish I could let thoughts like that go, but alas to no avail. A couple of fittings and some hose clamps later and stand back.



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It did have the pressure to toot the horns, not loud enough though. I was hoping for some real pressure and maybe do the fire breathing dragon thing. Just so you don't think I'm totally nuts I had no intention of ever putting it on the truck like this, Just wanted to see if it would work.



Anyway if anyone has an idea for a cheap small storage tank and a pressure regulted switch please let me know. I'm only worried about the high end on the switch. Low isn't really necessary with a small tank. JC Whitney has some for a decent price but I'm always open to ideas.



Garrett

 

[illflem]

Empty refrigerant tanks from a refrigeration a/c shop work excellent. Most shops have a bunch of empty ones laying around they would love to give away.

 

[DRR-24V]

Hot Idea !

That was a hot idea.

 

[LandShark]

BWB: I like the propane idea! I think you can get the pressure you need by figuring out a way to ignite the propane prior to the horns !!! Maybe there'a a NASA guy on the site that can help you.

 

[LoneRam]

Pressure switch

BWB-



I picked one up from Grainger for $18. Mine was AC, but they have an online site that you can search around on. Hope this helps.



LoneRam

 

[PRout]

ROFL !!



We need to start a new catagory...



"BOMBED" Air Horns. Oo.

 

[Doubleclutch]

Propane?

Well, thinking outside the box a little, since you got such a great effect with the propane, why not a cardox fire extinguisher- Could have white "smoke" coming out the bell, and you don't have to worry about igniting forest fires.

Check out www.GodfatherCustoms.com or www.airbagit.com, or any of the other advertisers in www.truckinweb.com. I have Hadleys that came as a kit with tank, compressor and horns- Don't use compressor anymore, just fill tanks from garage compressor. Lasts a long time, and no dead batteries.

 

[Big White Beast]

Next time I buy the kit........

Well I decided to make my own tank out of some 3" sched. 80 pipe I had. After welding on the end caps and drilling and tapping for all the various doodads it turns out my welds leaked. Man I thought I had it welded good. Anyway after several R & R's of all the parts the tanks works.



Got a solenoid from napa that doesn't seem to want to fire under high pressure. Put in a relay off the horn wire and it works most of the time, jury"s still out on wether to get a new one or not.



The compressor from Wal-mart works except it blew the hose twice trying to get to 135 PSI which is the shut off from the pressure switch from Hadley. By the way I ordered it from J. C. Whitney so all their parts for their air horns are Hadley stuff, best prices I've seen.



Horns $22. 00

Pressure switch $24. 00

Check Valve $ 8. 00

Gauge $ 7. 00

Soleniod $43. 00

Brass fittings $15. 00

Hose $10. 00

Misc. $20. 00



Total $149. 00



All in all the $149 seems like a good price for air horns but I probably have 20+ hours into the whole thing. Some of them quite frustrating.



I love the air horns though and would reccomend them to anyone, just buy the kit unless you have lots of spare time to mess around.



Garrett



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[sdalton]

White Beasty. I like your setup, but putting it all behind that tinfoil of a front bumper scares me. A distracted mommy in a parking lot, driving a minivan could take your whole setup out with just a little tap.

 

[dan_gilson]

I don't mean to rain on your parade but my first thought was you driving down the road and somebody cuts you off. You hit the horns (they light) and the flames come back in through the raditor and ignites some oil on you engine. Oh S#$%! Bad scene.



There is something to be said for respecting fire and not letting it get away from you.

 

[Big White Beast]

Dan.....

Reread the first post. The flames were just to see if it could be done. I'm not crazy enough to put it on the truck that way.



Garrett

 

[dan_gilson]

OK, me bad. I read late at night. Sorry.



I did enjoy the lab experiment greatly.

 

[Fireman]

LMAO!

Garrett,



Love those flaming Air Horns ! Reminded me of a story that a firefighter in East Texas told me. They arrived on the scene of a truck fire, the truck was fully involved , then there was an explosion that propeled the truck into the air and flipped onto its roof. :--) Needless to say this guy nearly crapped all over himself. As it turned out the truck ran on propane and when the owner had aflat or low tire out in the middle of nowhere he just ran a hose off the propane tank and "aired" up his tires. He showed me several pix of propane tanks with air hoses on them, but my favorite had an impact wrench onthe end of it! That guy wasn,t only putting propane in his tires, but using it to change them too!Oo.



Fireman

 

[kchristopher]

Originally posted by illflem

Empty refrigerant tanks from a refrigeration a/c shop work excellent. Most shops have a bunch of empty ones laying around they would love to give away.

I looked at a few of these and the tanks looked rather flimsy. What pressure are they rated at?