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1937 120c. The car is new to me. The horn does not work. There isn't a wire coming off of the bottom of the horn relay to the horn button. I want to hopefully find the other end of the wire at the horn button. I've pushed and tried rotating the horn button with my thumbs, hands... no luck. Cannot rotate the button. Any suggestions on how to exert enough pressure to rotate it?
Also if anyone knows/knew Charles Mobley, it was his car, why isn't there a wire coming off the relay? Doesn't Texas require a horn for inspection?
thanks,
Sue

With the wire completely missing from the relay I wonder if the insulation deteriorated and horn was blowing so someone cut it off or maybe if it is a new loom it was just never hooked up so tucked aside.

If there are no small screws on the back of the steering wheel hub holding the button, others will need to say how to get the horn button off. Once off there is a copper contact with a wire connected which goes straight down the steering shaft and exits at the forward end of the steering box. There should be a 6-8" length sticking out at that point where there would be an inline connector to connect it to the rest of the loom and go on to the S terminal on the relay.

It could have just become disconnected or if heat and grease caused the wire to deteriorate and was shorting at the box exit it might have also been purposely cut off there too.

It should just be a push and turn. That is how it is on my 37 banjo wheel.

Once you get the button off there are some older posts where the 37 horn button assy is discussed. Perhaps some of the info or photos there would be of help.

Article 1

Article 2

It is most certainly a push and turn, about 1". Two tips first, don't be afraid to spray some pb blaster, brakleen, wd40 or other cancer causing substance between the bakelite button and the chrome cup just don't get any on the button itself, or clean it off, as it helps to spray a little contact adhesive(3m 77 or such or some rubber cement) on the button and your fingers to gain the necessary traction to push and twist the button.

And the wire goes all the way down the steering column, and exits to the relay at the bottom of the steering box.

picture of the button and the cup if that may help visualize.

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  20230707_174631.jpg (185.67 KB)

G'day Sue L,
to PackardInfo.

I invite you to include your, new to you, '37 115C in PackardInfo's Packard Vehicle Registry.

Yes, I know they say 1/4 turn and it pops off. Well the attached PDF illustrates what I went through and all is well in horn land now. Have a look, may help.
Good luck,
Bob J.

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1937 Packard 120 Horn Button Removal.pdf Size: 183.47 KB; Hits: 117

The tar like material was once foam rubber. Some types of rubber, usually foam rubber, decay into a tar-like material.

Bob J, In your article you asked what the black stuff was. I suspect it is the same sponge rubber like material Packard used thru 56. Along with being the round cushion and sort of spring on the horn buttons it is also found in a strip around the radio speaker on some models. On radios is used to cushion and seal the speaker opening as the radio pushes against the back of the grill opening.

I believe it must depend on what kind of weather and maybe what chemical or smoking environment the car is subjected to as to how it deteriorates. In your case and in several radios and later horn buttons I have run across it turned into the tar like glue mass you had. A real lot of fun getting the glue to release the radio or button as you found out. On other cars it was absolutely petrified and became a hard as rock material. The horn button will not push down in that case either. Those are the worst extremes I have come across but there is a middle ground where it must be heading toward petrification. In that state, when disturbed it sort of crumbles and turns into chunks.

On mine there was no rubber spacer donut like my 54 had. Just a large diameter coil spring.