bazza77

I disconnected the horn and clipped on a test light while I was fiddling with the wiring on mine , run the wire back into the cabin so you can see it under the dash if you need to get under there , more neighbour friendly that way !

nice looking car you have there

rberman999

Sounds like you could have a defective Tele Horn Button Stand/Contact, Zip Corvette part name. The circuit is fairly simple with the horn button on the steering wheel making the final ground connection. If your horn sounds without pressing the horn you have either a defective horn relay so that the horn is always on or the contact under the center horn button is defective and completing the circuit without pressing the horn. The contact is open when not pressing the horn, when you press the horn button you make the horn contact close and that completes the ground circuit and the horn blows. Easy to check using a VOM.

DUB

You have to have one of these in good condition. It is installed OVER the 'U' clip that holds your lock plate down. This part keeps the end of the coil spring contact you installed that had the broken plastic tube in it form grounding on the column and making it so your horn always blows.,.,...And THAT can be what caused the spring in your turn signal switch for your horn contact to fail. The horn was always blowing and heated up this spring due to resistance...and ruined the spring.

https://willcoxcorvette.com/corvette...-fingers-70-89

DUB

DorianC3

Aaaahhhhhhh!!!!!! Is that supposed to be on a 1969? I don’t see that part anywhere !

'75

I believe that insulator is only used on the telescoping column, yours looks like a standard column.

DorianC3

Mine is a telescopic

DUB

FYI:

Look at the second photo in POST#1. This is a dead give away that his column is a tele-tilt. Due to the large spring under the hub he is removing.

And in that exact same photo...you cannot see the insulator that is needed for the horn.

DUB

DUB

If you look at your second photo in your first post. You can see that the insulator is missing that should cover the 'U' clip that holds down the lock plate.

And IF the photo is how it looked when you removed the hub. I would bet that is what caused the spring in your turn signal switch to melt down and fail. Because the horn keep blowing until the weakest part in the circuit heated up and failed...and that is the spring your replaced.

And for what this is wroth:
I have dealt with the spring in the turn signal switch for the plunger for the horn being just like what you had happen to yours. I do KNOW that that spring is copper coated. When I fix them that is what I put back in there so there is no chance or very little chance that if I used a steel spring to being to corrode or get weird and fail...thus meaning...I have to get back into the column AGAIN for the same problem. Keep in mind I have never put a steel spring in there so i can not confirm or deny how it works...I just put back in what I know went in there.

DUB

Jeffs82c3

My 82 is suffering the same problem, but it's gonna have to warm up before I try to fix it..

'75

I see it now, the tele shaft was down so far I thought it was a standard.

DorianC3

Thanks Gents - I am sure you have solved my problem; I can understand how this works now...

I'll keep you posted.

DorianC3

Closing the loop on this one. Yesterday my horn button was finally reinstalled and ...working.

As someone pointed out above, the mystery was here:

70-89 HORN CONTACT CARRIER RETAINER - WITH TILT AND TELESCOPIC STEERING COLUMN

From what I understand, this was not part of the assembly in 1968-69. When I did searches for it by date, it did not turn up.

Looking carefully at the steering wheel locking plate, I noticed that there was some sort of really thing varnish on it - presumably an insulator. This varnish had worn through in places. Using the 1970 piece above solved the problem.

Thanks Gents !

The car looks sooo much better with the horn button on.

kansas123

Glad you got it fixed, I know from experience your pain. And, this stupid part, or lack of, or having a damaged one, has caused lots of people lots of anguish. Good job!