Running a horn ground in the steering shaft on a 1971 Super

[SadKingBilly]

Almost finished with a restoration, but it seems that my horn ground wire isn't there.

Do we HAVE to remove the gas tank to get to the universal joint or is there another way to get a ground wire down the steering shaft?

Apologies if there is a post about this, I did try searching.

THank you!

[baldessariclan]

The horn wiring on 1971 and later model year Beetles doesn't use a ground wire passing through the steering column shaft -- that's only for 1970 and earlier models, which had the steering wheel hub and shaft on the normally "hot" side of the horn system's switched ground circuit. In your 1971 model it's reversed, and the steering column itself is now part of the final path to ground (i.e. on the normally "cold" side of the horn system's switched ground circuit).

So no need to worry about having to pass a grounding wire through your 1971 Super's steering shaft (assuming, of course, that the rest of your horn wiring system has remained in a basically "stock" configuration as well).
_________________
1971 Standard Beetle — fairly stock / driver

baldessariclan -- often in error, never in doubt...

[SadKingBilly]

[glutamodo]

Well, all Supers have a double U-joint coupling at the end of the steering column shaft. It's not like Deluxe ("standard") models where it was just one long shaft that a wire could and was run down.

1971 had an upper column assembly which handled the grounding and there was a contact plate bolted to the bottom of the classic-looking steering wheel, which provided the ground by a wiper contact built into the cancel ring which contacted a corresponding brass tab on the turn signal switch and giving the horn it's contact point through one of the holes in the steering wheel hub.

_________________
Andy T.

"What is Glutamodo, Horror of Toyko, besides total, fiendish, quality-a-you brain!"

[SadKingBilly]

[baldessariclan]