[perl]

I'd swear I saw a link in this forum for a Hella Air Horn kit for the Mini - and a picture of the dual horn set mounted.

But, I have searched all the threads and Googled everything I can think of and can't find a thing. Has anyone fitted these horns?:Hella Air Horn Kit

And, if you did, how did it go? What did you need? And, how about a picture.

perl

[hememan]

I recall seeing a thread about Hella air horns from Griot's Garage (griotsgarage.com) - the guy said he was going to install them and give feedback, but if he did I never saw the posting. The question is whether or not these horns will actually fit the MINI or MCS, and how difficult the installation might be.

[paulmon]

Check out MOSS Mini they have air horns that fit in the engine bay.

Paul

[nonsequitur]

paulmon is correct, MOSS has a setup. I'd be interested in what you find the installation to look like if you get them.

Here is a link and picture:
http://www.mossmini.com/Shop/ViewPro...eIndexID=36618

[hememan]

Interest here also. So far much talk, but no one seems to have done it yet. The MCS's engine bay would give a flea claustophobia, so I'd like to hear from someone who's done it.

[perl]

I placed an order with Moss Mini today. However, they are out of stock (Which means SOMEONE out there knows how easy/hard it is to fit the horns and how they sound) and they don't expect any new kits in for two weeks.

The person I spoke with did not know much about the kit, like whose horns they use (though in the picture on the Moss Mini web page they look a lot like the Hella dual-note horns). But, he did say that everything (mounting hardware and wiring) was included.

We shall soon see (and hear) more...

perl

[nonsequitur]

Thanks for keeping us posted.

Our '67 Austin Cooper S has very nice dual chromed metal air horns that I hooked up a bunch of years ago. Minis with air horns are just "right" and MINIs with air horns should be even better!

[perl]

This is the message I received from Moss Mini. Note the "4-6 weeks"

> From: mossmotors.com
> Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 14:33:40 -0700
> Subject: Order Status
>
> Thank you for your order. Unfortunately, the Dual Air
> Horn Kit # 100-324 is out of stock. At this time, we do
> not have a delivery date. Could be 4-6 weeks but there
> is no confirmation yet from the vendor.
>
> At this time, we have you on backorder under order
> #2-011****. If you wish to cancel, please let me know or
> advise anyone at Moss Motors.
>
> Sorry for any inconvenience.

Since this is the only place I've found this kit I guess I'll just wait.

perl

[perl]

Well, my Moss Motors Dual Air Horn Kit # 100-324 finally arrived two days ago and I installed it today.

Observations:

The horn is, as others have noted, the Fiamm air horn kit. It is fairly flimsy - the horns and the screw retainers on the horns are lightweight plastic. As others have also noted, what you get for the doubled price is three metal mounting brackets and some nuts & bolts. The three brackets, secure the horns (one bracket each) and the compressor.

There is no parts manifest and there are several extra parts (angle brackets, bolts, etc.). A manifest would have been a help to sort out the unused parts with the Mini install.

Installation, following the instructions, was fairly straight forward. However, the illustrations are very hard to see since they are just B&W photocopies. Some online color photos would have helped a lot.

The instructions call for a 7/8" bit, I used a 1" hole-saw and I frankly can't see how the supplied grommet would have ever fit in a 7/8" hole.

Three other points:

The first (shorter horn) uses the bolt on one end of the engine grounding cable to secure its bracket: USE THE LOWER BOLT. This is not very clear in the instructions.

The electrical connector to the existing horn is a b*tch to get loose. There are also two ways to "disconnect" it. There is a two connector right angled adapter piece that attaches to the horn itself, and then the harness connector connects to that. You want to disconnect the harness from the adapter. Do not do as I did and disconnect the adapter from the horn - it's a real pain to to get back on - which is a good idea if you ever might want to reconnect the factory horns. You also have to "tap" the two leads going to the right-hand side horn - there is only a little exposed wiring and its more cramped than I would have liked. It would have been better if they had supplied a connector to match the one on the horn.

Finally, Moss suggests that you run the wiring from the horn to the compressor through the same grommet (the 1" hole) used for the air hose. I chose instead to use an existing grommet lower on the same bulkhead - that made for a cleaner wire run and didn't pinch the air hose.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

As to the horn itself. I like it. It's crisp and loud. And I found no delay as some others had reported. The horn does sound like it might be a slightly better "fit" on my Alfa '68 Gulia Super, but it's still not out of place on a Mini 2.

Summary: The extra $35 is a lot to pay for three brackets and some bolts, but, I am not sure I would have ever bothered to have figured out the mounting on my and and I probably saved $35 in my time. Biggest complaint, the instructions were not very clear (either graphically or linguistically).

perl

[perl]

In order to install the compressor it is essential that you have a socket wrench with a 10mm DEEP socket. You will also need a standard 13mm socket.

perl

[Nameless]

Hell of a job - but I been using Fiamm for years - the compressors last about 2 years then give up to corrosion, but the sound is great and they are so cheap (when not from moss!) that it doesn't matter!

Happy honking!

[hememan]

Appreciate the great feedback from perl However, based on how often I use the horns this sounds like more trouble and expense than it's worth. Never say never, though...

[nonsequitur]

Thank you for the complete report on your installation, and continued followup, on these horns!

[Gryphon]

Great information guys.
Here is the other question--what do the horns SOUND like? Can you describe the sound in writing?

[EBMCS03]

Anyone know any other horns that are easier to install and maybe cheaper? I want LOUDER Horns since I got cut off by a bus today... they think they'll all that...