Yesterday I was cleaning out the toolbox on my truck and found an old Hand Pump Hadley Air Horn...I had forgotten all about it until I found it...It was off an OLD boat, and I think it would make a nice addition to a future project....Problem is it doesn't work. I got it to work once...and after that nothing...I tried running it off shop air to see if it would do anything...but it's a low pressure horn..hence the hand pump. So I figured I'd come to ladies and gents of the HAMB to see if I can find anything out about this old gem...So does anyone know a thing or two about these old horns? does anyone have one? How can I fix it? Thanks, Bobby
I had one of those on my air-bagged Suburban...used 125psi to operate, no issues. I don't think they are THAT "old"...I found mine on the roof of a '67 Chevy flatbed...although I guess that would make it at least 40 years old, huh? The operation is simple...if you disassemble the "head" unit, you will see there are two stainless steel diaphragms. Basically, if those diaphragms are intact, it will work....if they are cracked or otherwise abused, it won't. I found corrosion in the inlet portion of the body, and after disassembly and cleaning, it worked fine.
40 years is older than me by like 21 years...I guess I'm going to have to take 'em apart now! thanks for the tip... Anybody else got anything??
I took the diaphrams apart and they were really coroded soo I cleaned them up, put it all back together, tested on shop air...HOONKKKKK....so the horns work now...Hooked hand pump back up....nothin just whooshing...So I'm thinkin' it's the pump...just not sure how to take it apart.
My Father-in-law has this same air horn on his boat and the hand pump only works part of the time. He said he took the pump apart and the leather diaphram was old and dry so he put some oil on it and it helped for a while but it has been giving problems again. I was checking to see if you ever found parts for this hand pump. [email protected]
Switch the pump out to a nice antique brass bicycle pump--you get looks and air pressure. I've made similar rigs, I used to use them in the audience at Roller Derby. Get a cheap pair of air horns and a bicycle pump, tape them together and make the connection with vacuum hose. Shove hard on the handle and it sounds like a Freightliner is sitting in the stands. I wish I could take credit for the idea but I swiped it from a home-made unit I saw at a farm auction. I guess they used it in the old days to call the tractor driver in from the field for lunch.
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