Buell Horn question

[Plan B2]

Has anyone here had experience powder coating a 1984 vintage set of buell horns?

[Fanfare]

No powder coat, but I have successfully rechromed my 48 year old horns. Just have to have the pits buffed away. I think these are brass and can be smoothed away. You might email Buell for info. www.buellairhorns.com

[sandspur1966]

Hey Jim (Grove) can you share who did the chrome work and what it cost?

I am trying to decide whether to buy a new set for $450 or have mine re-chromed. I figure if it costs anything over $250 to re-chrome, a new set is worth not hassling with shipping and QC... Thanks.

Shawn

[sgharford]

Hi Shawn - I just had a bunch of odds and ends rechromed at Nassau Chrome in Mineola (http://www.nassauchrome.com/). Minimum charge for polished re-chroming is $250, had about 10 pieces done for that price (a bunch from my Dad's 17" Montauk Whaler where included). It took about 2 months to get back, they apparently do these smaller jobs in batches. It came up beautiful, would recommend them, they've been in business for 90 years.

[Fanfare]

Years back I had mine rechromed here in Ft. Lauderdale (where we arrived last night). But the plater did a poor job of buffing the pits. Then, three or four years ago first one then the other trumpet stopped tooting. After replacing diaphrams they still didn't work, so I sent them back to Buell for a overhaul. Buell said they could find nothing wrong and sent them back, working, and looking really shiny! No charge! It was a few months until I saw the result during which they had been back in their usual spot in the weather. I can't, therefore, say for sure what Buell did to them, but I sent them a real nice thank you note.

In fact, if my bride was not napping I would fire them up and give them a toot. Mine sound so great I wouldn't try any others.

Although if you google steam locomotive whistles or diesel locomotive horns you will have great fun this weekend. A few even let you hear the same whistles running on steam versus air pressure. A steam whistle has been on my wish list for years! Don't forget to turn your volume up!

[sandspur1966]

Hey thanks Guys, I will definitely try Nassau Chrome for a bunch of stuff that needs to be refinished.

Jim I just had an amazing experience with BUELL I called and asked if the have a service in house to refurbish their product and they could not possibly have been nicer. They asked me to ship them back and they will determine how big a job it is and said that it usually comes to between a half and a third of buying a new set for around 500.00.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[jim rosenthal]

Please let us know. Maybe they would do my Raritans if I asked them nicely. Although a set of Buell horns would be nice, too...... and even louder.

[SeaEric]

I own a set of vintage Buells that I bought on here from an HOF member who removed them from his old 50 MY. I'm embarrassed to say that they have been here in my office, in the as yet unopened box for a year. Perhaps I should unpack them and put them on the to do list for inspection/refurb/install this Spring. I have not yet begun the research as to what I need air-wise to run them.

[jim rosenthal]

Buell can tell you what you need. Essentially, you need a lot of air at high pressure. And they are LOUD. Like ambulance or truck loud, maybe louder than that, if you are talking about the really large ones.

I think most of these systems use a compressor and reservoir and a solenoid-operated switch to sound the horns. They run on 12vdc, although they will probably make other voltage compressors as well. It is somewhat complex but not outrageous.

Remember, they are LOUD.

[Fanfare]

My OEM dual-trumpet Buells ran off the stock DD air compressor mounted on the port 8V-71n engine. This output about 125 psi to the horns via an accumulator tank adopted straight from your local gas station's portable air tank. Which is just what Hatteras used--it still had the handle on top! When I re-engined to DD6V-92TAs the turbocharger now occupied the spot for the air compressor so, to keep the horns, I had to go to a 12v electric compressor and dual accumulator tanks because these were smaller. This was OK for my normal minimal use in Florida, until I decided to head to Nova Scotia one summer. The 12v system just couldn't supply the continuous fog signal of a five second blast every two minutes. This required installing a Sears 110v power tool air compressor which could replenish the air volume the horns require. I did replace my horn button with an automatic fog signal timer so I wouldn't need to do this hour after hour. This was a good idea since we were in continuous fog from Norfolk, VA on virtually all the way to Halifax.