# Some help with first horn install



## Caustic (May 13, 2018)

I got some ES Minihorns and comp motors a few days back as a gift from my mom, I've read here and watched Matt's videos (he makes it look ridiculously easy) but I have no clue what I'm doing lol.

I have a 2010 Silverado, and the space under the dash is more limited than I imagined it would be after getting the horns and holding them in there.

Can I just put countersunk holes in the horn body, find some metal somewhere, and use the strap to secure it with a machine bolt and nut? Can I just use a wood screw through the body into a piece of metal? Can the horn be angled up?? Can the drivers side horn be pushed back 3 to 4 inches of the dash and the pass side flush with it?









There's some type of computer that prevents the horn from sitting level if it's flush with the dash, I could possibly get behind it. The pencil mark on the panel is about straight from my left ear.
















This is the passenger side and I could get the horn flush with the dash and level with minor shaving of plastic I think.

Any help is appreciated

Regards, David


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## imickey503 (Dec 16, 2015)

There really is only One tutorial online. This may help. 


USD Audio



The end result should look something like this with body color acoustically transparent fabric used. 



















Here are some guides for install. 


http://www.usdaudio.com/downloads/waveguide_installa.pdf




Thank you to: 










This is an install in a Chevy Truck. 


SpeakerWorks/USD Audio Install Gallery




Kind of cool how they did it back in the day. 










Also check out this thread. It goes into how to make custom waveguides for your application. 








Horn Loaded Computer Speakers (HLCS)


The project I'd been working on for months doesn't work, and the last two weeks of December are the slowest of the year for me. Based on that, I wanted to tinker around with something. I was experimenting with horn loaded computer speakers, and getting good results in my car today. The...




www.diymobileaudio.com


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## Caustic (May 13, 2018)

Appreciate that man. I've been in contact with Eric and I think I have a decent plan now, just gotta get too it. One of the most expensive things I've bought for car audio and just don't want to fudge it up.


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## imickey503 (Dec 16, 2015)

Impossible. 
that's more of a Ford thing


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## Horsemanwill (Jun 1, 2008)

if your looking for a tutorial for Eric's horns you need Matt Borgardt's youtube channel Backyard installers found here Backyardinstallers he has a lot of good informational vids


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## Horsemanwill (Jun 1, 2008)

If it's electrical and you can move it usually doesn't hurt anything to move them. I've relocated a couple of things in my car to make room for the horns. also instead of countersinking the screws into the hlcd just find some flat head type screws less chance of cracking the body. i used threaded rivets in the metal brackets i mounted the horns to works really well.


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## Horsemanwill (Jun 1, 2008)




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## Caustic (May 13, 2018)

I think I've watched Matt's videos about 50 times 🤣🤣

I have no idea what this computer box is, but it's got about 4 pigtails coming out of it and that's just too much for me to even want to attempt. 

Eric said it would be okay to move the drivers back if the goal is to maintain the width. I got it semi mounted, middle of the horn lines up with my left shoulder and it's about 3" back from the dash line. I'll mount the other tomorrow and see how it does.









I never get things right the first time around, or the second... probably not the 3rd time either. But I'll keep plugging away.


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## Horsemanwill (Jun 1, 2008)

word of advice make sure to strap up the back if possible some way, when the drivers are on they tend to pull the back down making the mouth aim up even more and puts stress on the front part of mounts


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## Caustic (May 13, 2018)

It's got a 36" zip tie around the motor and up over metal bracket for now, tightened up pretty good and it's pretty solid. Need to get some more of that thin gauge bar and see if I can find a spot to secure it too way up and back. Would it be okay to attach that bar to the post that the CD is mounted too? I'm not keen on putting any holes into the actual horn if I don't have too.


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## Horsemanwill (Jun 1, 2008)

the driver stud is used often. you could make some type of choke to go around the horn body then mount something to that to hold it up. on mine i drilled a small hole in it just enough to have meat but still pass the driver body and mounted a LONG bolt and made it "adjustable" just by screwing it up and down. kinda like how the old headlights aim.


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## imickey503 (Dec 16, 2015)

If those are plastic horns, is resonance a problem? The other thread mentioned using that rubber sealing compound I think it was Masontrex? I don't know if its that soft plastic or the hard kind, (I'm not that up on Wave guides these days) But I heard that the more rigid you mount it, the more Resonance peaks you get. 

I did see one install when I was in Canada YEARS back. And he used rubber that was like Door trim to hold "Horn" in place securely up front, and then coupled it to wood frame that bolted to the metal. The rear of the driver was supported from the rear with what looked to me like a THICK rubber band that looked like a vacuum cleaner belt from a Hoover. 

He could pull them out with ease , I do remember that.


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## Caustic (May 13, 2018)

imickey503 said:


> If those are plastic horns, is resonance a problem? The other thread mentioned using that rubber sealing compound I think it was Masontrex? I don't know if its that soft plastic or the hard kind, (I'm not that up on Wave guides these days) But I heard that the more rigid you mount it, the more Resonance peaks you get.
> 
> I did see one install when I was in Canada YEARS back. And he used rubber that was like Door trim to hold "Horn" in place securely up front, and then coupled it to wood frame that bolted to the metal. The rear of the driver was supported from the rear with what looked to me like a THICK rubber band that looked like a vacuum cleaner belt from a Hoover.
> 
> He could pull them out with ease , I do remember that.


I believe they're polyurethane, knocking on them and they're thuddy as he'll.



Horsemanwill said:


> the driver stud is used often. you could make some type of choke to go around the horn body then mount something to that to hold it up. on mine i drilled a small hole in it just enough to have meat but still pass the driver body and mounted a LONG bolt and made it "adjustable" just by screwing it up and down. kinda like how the old headlights aim.


Drilled a hole through the actual bolt? Interesting, I like the idea of it being adjustable. Think I'll give the driver stud and metal strap a go first, seems effective and efficient. 

Appreciate the input dudes, for real


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## Eric Stevens (Dec 29, 2007)

The Stevens Audio horns are made with Urethane which is an elastomer so they have good damping properties and are non resonant. The Full Size version gets better with a layer of damping material but the MH wont benefit in any way. A solidly mounted horn will not resonate more than a loosely mounted horn.


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## Horsemanwill (Jun 1, 2008)

Caustic said:


> I believe they're polyurethane, knocking on them and they're thuddy as he'll.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


not through the bolt but the round part of the horn body. there was enough room for me to do it. i'll find my spare body and post a pic


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## Horsemanwill (Jun 1, 2008)




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## Horsemanwill (Jun 1, 2008)

i was able to put a small hole in the area that's scuffed up at and used that to put a thin long bolt through and used that to stabilize the rear


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## Caustic (May 13, 2018)

I was able to get them up without much effort once I just got down to it.

I just drilled a hole in some metal, pretty much any metal I could find in the vicinity that was accessible, ran a bolt through the hole and strapped and used a nut to tighten it up some. Then I held the horn to where my pencil mark was on the panel, marked where the holes need to be on the horn body, then drilled the holes through the horn body and brought back, used more bolts and tightened it up. Lot easier than I had in my mind.

Definitely not mirror images due to the stuff under the dash, but damn they sound pretty freaking good. Considering the ease of install/implementation and super low power requirements I am surprised they are not more widely used. But I'm just a regular guy and have never sat in a super high quality set up vehicle so maybe I just haven't heard enough, but it's better than the 3 way I had in my van which I myself adored.

I'd recommend Steven's Horns to anyone looking for dynamics, output with some wonderful sound quality/clarity


















Thanks for the advice guys, appreciate your input, truly do.


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## Caustic (May 13, 2018)

Finally got my MB8's this week, whipped up a quick birch baffle and replaced the RS225. No gain/input adjustment at first as I wanted to hear a pretty much direct comparison even though the daytons are 4 ohm and the MB8s are 2 ohm.

They were worth the wait, they are much louder, tremendous output, play up to 2k in the the door boxes with a lot more composure. Dryer, snappier and punchier. I have moved the xovers around to various spots and listened just to get a feel. Think I like 80/24lr- 1600/24lr. 

Listened to Gojiras drum solo, one of my favorites and damn... felt like I was back in my friends garage, while they were just jamming and riffing on stuff, feeling the snap, I understand more when I read about how the drums can hurt... been a while since I felt that.


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