TheSamba.com :: View topic - How to install a 58 and a 59 Ghia horn ring

Tue Jul 24, 2012 7:08 am

Good morning Loren! The contact rings are beautiful! They're perfect! I was so excited to install it, so early last week, I took a break from my work vacation of sanding, staining, and resealing all of the floors in my old house and went out to the garage, put everything together, hooked the battery up, turned on the key and................................................................nothing.
I'm missing something. That contact ring is not contacting the steer shaft. So I removed the wire from the contact ring and touched the screws that hold down the chromed horn ring - horn sounds. Maybe I have something backwards? Check out the pics.

Tue Jul 24, 2012 5:45 pm

Did you clean the depressions in the steering wheel hub where the springs sit? These depressions need to be clean because the springs ground the horn ring. Often when a steering wheel is restored the hub is not masked off and paint gets into the spring depressions. Can you see if the horn ring is making contact with the brass ring when the horn ring is depressed?

Tue Jul 24, 2012 7:56 pm

The last time I looked, those holes were clean but I'll recheck tomorrow. Would it make any difference if the horn ring was re-chromed? Not sure how well chrome plating conducts electricity... :?

Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:48 pm

The chrome will conduct electricity just fine. If cleaning the depressions for the springs doesn't work let me know.

Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:54 pm

Wow. It's amazing how an oversight and a little cleaning can affect something so simple. Those holes where the springs seat into the steering wheel hub were caked with age old muck. All it took was a cleaning, down to the bare metal and a re-assembly. Horn works! Thanks Loren!

Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:28 pm

I made the plastic inserts and molded them. They are made out of resin.
I will have them if anyone needs. Thanks Geoff

Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:47 pm

can you post some pics? especially one with the brass ring installed?

Thu Oct 04, 2012 8:36 pm

Some little potential progress has been made on the grounding rings for the 59 Ghia horn ring. I got the blanks back from the plastic shop a few weeks ago. Here is an example of how they turned out.

I just sent the blanks off to the machine shop to see if they can drill the other holes and mill the blank to the correct profile. I should know in a week if they can do the job. I will keep posting updates as they come in.

Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:49 am

One more piece to the puzzle! :D

Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:31 am

Has anyone else ever notice a number stamping on the inner rim of the hub? It looks like I have a 7-9-...on the top of mine. I'm sure it's just a part number. But my REAL question is, does anyone know what the little teeny tiny holes are for on the hub at 1:00 and 7:00? Maybe something for machining purposes?

Thu May 09, 2013 6:15 pm

I just had a limited run of 58 Ghia brass contact rings made. If any one needs one to complete their 58 Ghia steering wheel let me know. I still have the 59 Ghia grounding rings in the works and they should be done by the end of the summer. Now if we could get someone to make 58 Ghia metal horn ring covers we would be set!

here is the reproduction

an original ring is on the left with the reproduction on the right

the original ring is on the bottom with the reproduction on the top

Thu May 09, 2013 6:53 pm

I say hold Dannys bug hostage until he makes a die for the metal horn button. and make it adaptable for both years. I mean as long as we have him tied up LOL

Thu May 09, 2013 7:30 pm

I showed a metal cover to Danny the other day and it is a difficult piece to make and would require a male/female die to press them out. He didn't think there was enough demand to break even on the reproduction costs, not to mention his time, especially since a fiberglass reproduction is already being produced in Poland and is for sale here on the Samba.

Thu May 09, 2013 7:42 pm

I have the glass button. Need to make adapters for my 59. I figured it was not cost effective, hence the need to hold his bug captive LOL.
A male die and hammer one out, then trim and finish would probably work also.