bosch horn help

I've just bought a 5" bosch horne with an obscure reference on it BOSCH GERMANY IMPORTE DE'ALLEMAGNE HO/FSA 12/27
1. What vehicle is it likely to have come off?, and would it of been part of a pair (HI & LO)
2. What frequency is it, so I can find the other one to the pair, assuming it was a pair

Matt - IMHO you'd be better off putting those Bosch horns on the shelf in your garage and instead install air horns. Your head will be at the bumper level of most SUVs who won't be able to see you behind them (as they are backing out of that parking space) and definitely won't hear the puny 'beeping' of your horns right before they crunch your fiberglass car.

Nice loud air horns are the cheapest and one of the best safety upgrades you can add to your Speedster.

...I'm just saying...

Sounds like you may have a later 12 volt 356 or Mercedes horn. (Maybe even one from an early 911, although I don't know if Porsche continued with the separate horn tag into the 9 series.) Does the "tag" mount with two small screws at 3 and 9 o'clock or stud and nut through the center? Is there only lettering on the tag or is there a wavy "frequency" line as well?

Those horns are adjustable for sound quality and loudness, if you use two of them, they ought to be wired like those in the Karmann Ghias (check TheSamba for the factory diagram) and a relay used as well.

For additional info, check over at the 356 Registry Forum, they'll have a significant amount of information for you. You'll be able to discern if you need a higher number or lower number after the 12 to complete a set of hi/low horns.


Luck,

T

Jim, thanks for your reply, I'll give the air horns some thought, however the look i'm after is the more authentic look with the bosch tags visible through the horn grills.

Team Evil, the horn has a round bosch tag which is the two holed type with BOSCH in curved writing accross the top and
GERMANY
IMPORTE
D'ALLEMAGNE
accross the middle and
HO/FSA 12/27
in curved writing at the bottom
no frequency symbol
I've searched the web and looked at the 356 registry site even being directed to an extract from the bosch manual of the day, which refers to the more common 12 volt HO/FSA 12/10(low) and 12/11(high) and 6 volt HO/FSA 6/3(low) and 6/4(high) but drawn a blank on this one.
I'm really after details of whether this is a high or low tone so I can try and find another to pair it with.
Cheers
Matt

Wouldn't grounding it and running wire to hot battery terminal tell you if hi/lo?

Matt - install both Bosche & air horns. Mount the Bosch in the proper area behind the grill, for appearance and mount the air horn elsewhere in the wheel well.

Hook the air horn to the steering wheel horn button (for quick easy activation when a loud horn blast is needed) and wire the Bosch horns to a button on the dash (perhaps a pseudo ignition push-start button).

Early 911s had air horns from the factory, AFAIK.

Wolfgang, Will it be that obvious, whether its hi or low, might give that a try, I was told it was 'high' but thought with the tag in place it would be easy to check.

Jim, The suggestion of both may be the way forward, seems the best of both worlds!

Here's pair on SAMBA - ouch $320!

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=844795

Some here have used the Wolo 419 Bad Boy air horn (Harbor Freight and Amazon have) under $35. Sure doesn't look very period though.

I know that you already have the one original horn and are asking about it's mate and the origins of it . . .

But, if anyone is looking to bootleg up a pair of nice fakes, the twin-tone Karmann Ghia horns look EXACTLY like that 356 pair on The Samba and those tags are available here for short money:

http://www.nlaparts.com/store/bosch-horn-plates-bri2holei-p-1331.html

As well as from the rest of the usual suspects.