If his mod link in the sig is up-to-date, he's running a 1-ball exhaust, so he should be able to mount like I did... just drill holes up from the bottom into the floor of the boot and attach with bolts and large fender washers to distribute the load.

 

I actually have two pairs of existing bolts/studs available under there from the original exhaust mount. I'm gonna fab brackets & straps to use those - no drilling for me.

 

I've made it past 4 days and I still have CO2 in the tank! Woo Hoo... my leaking problem is fixed (or at least a lot better).

I took the car to my first local MINI club meeting this weekend and had another Cooper pulling up in front of me giving me the 'trucker honk' motion out the sunroof, so I let a few blasts off. I could hear 'em laughing from several car lengths away!

A fellow club member was nice enough to bring a sound meter to the meeting. He got back about 2-3 feet from the horn and I let off a few blasts. Apparently it was too much for his little meter and it stopped working correctly. It read 90 db after the first blast, but wouldn't pick up anything but the loudest of sounds, so the horns might have killed it!

 

Can't wait to see it. Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery! If I had wanted to keep it a secret until MOTD, I wouldn't have posted.

Hope to see (and hear) you there!

 

The mental image this line inspires for me is hysterical!

I have a horn mod planned for the summer...but it's far less...er...crazy...than this version!

 

I was able to mount my canister/regulator box on the two inboard studs, but I couldn't get the horn located in just the right place by using the other available studs. It was just easier to drill some holes, shoot 'em with a quick spray of Rustoleum and thru-bolt 'em.

I took the MINI in for an overall inspection this morning... a once-over before heading out to the Dragon. I warned the tech not to pull the T-handle next to the emergency brake. I was hoping that he'd be tempted to find out what it was and give it a pull, but he didn't fall for it! :D

 

agranger,

Very cool,nice looking setup,sounds GREAT.

 

Got my rig installed and working today. While I shamelessly copied Aaron's concept (and used the same horns and same regulator) I deviated quite a bit:
1) Running 20oz cylinder
2) Fabricated/Welded two custom mounts - one for the bottle, one for the horns - that use the existing exhaust studs - no drilling, etc. The bottle mount just straps it on with two nylon tie-down straps "exposed"... no box. Plus I removed the plastic shroud from the Kobalt regulator. So it looks more mad-moddish under there IMHO. And very easy to change the bottle with no tools.
3) Used the solenoid that came with the horns, and ran a wire to a new little red push button between my shifter and my seat heater switch. Tied power into the cig lighter, so it's "armed" with the ignition switch...
4) Mounted my horns beside the battery box, pointing forward. Mounted my bottle "outboard" closer to the wheel (but plenty of clearance).
5) Since I have a one-ball, mine is on the passenger side.

Sounds great - running at about 100psi now, I'll crank it up to 120 and see how that works. Tested it at highway speeds and it's quite loud (that's an understatement...)

Note - anyone trying this, make SURE you disassemble the regulator shroud and leak-test everything VERY well... the first regulator I got had a leak around the "high pressure" fitting for the bottle - couldn't make it stop, with tightening and replacing teflon tape. Exchanged it at Lowes for another one - it also had some leakage, but was able to get it to seal properly.

Also, the o-rings on the bottles are pretty flaky - sometimes you'll get a little leakage around the o-ring - only way to know would be to leak-test every time you change out the bottle. I didn't leak test the connections to the horn but think they're good - we'll see how long my CO2 lasts...

I'll post pics later this week - had to hit the road before I could get the pics uploaded.

Again, thanks a TON to Aaron for the inspiration. Awesome, awesome mod.

 

Great install. Very nice.

But um... I don't see the point of having an airhorn...

 

The point? Mods need to have a POINT now? Geesh...

Point is, it's FREAKIN loud... and sounds like a freight train... which is the last sound anyone would expect to come out of a MINI... perfect for those situations when we're not getting the respect someone would afford, say, a lifted H2... and it's FUN.

 

It's the same point as most mods for a MINI... For FUN!

BC: I've still got a little leak somewhere... maybe it's in the quick fit connection, at the bottle O-ring or maybe even my valve is leaking a bit. I think that the regulator instructions (intended for powering air-tools away from a compressor) said to remove the bottle every night, so I have a feeling that even Kobalt knows that their regulator has some leaking issues.

I've got 3 full bottles (9oz) for MOTD, so I'll be set! I'll probably sniff around a bit more for the leak after the event, but I've got enough work on my plate getting ready for a cross-country drive. I'll install a fresh tank on Monday evening before I head out and bring the spares along just in case the leak gets too bad.

 

BC: We need to get the cars together at MOTD... can you imagine the racket of the 2 of us firing off the horns at the same time!

 

I've got one of these on my cargo van (basically an RV with a workshop inside). It's great in traffic. It works exceptionally well at ending cell phone calls around me

Hmm, someday this mod is going on my Mini...

 

I fired mine off today for a buddy who is a big train horn fan in an underground parking garage.... sounded like the world was coming to an end... I did it in the middle of a LARGE parking lot at a shopping center surrounded on three sides by brick buildings about 50-100 feet away on each side (my club was meeting there)... the echo was WIKKED.... big, big fun...

 

OK, got my blog writeup done. Wish I had taken more pix of the wiring... but I started running out of time (had a 6 hour drive ahead) and had to rush to finish... I'll take some the next time I have it apart - I'll at least get a pic of the button added soon.

 

Nice writeup and pictures! I'm sure I'll be asking questions when I give this mod a go.

 

So for anyone considering this mod, here's an update on mine:

I've replaced the Kobalt air tool regulator with a paintball/airsoft regulator from Palmer-Pursuit.com. It's the "Stabilizer" female regulator with low-pressure kit installed (specify it that way when you order). This regulator seems MUCH more rugged than the Kobalt, and my Kobalt was always a little leaky, I was only getting a couple of weeks before the 16oz CO2 cylinder leaked down. I've been on one bottle for a month now with the Palmer regulator, with LOTS of horn use at club events, and it's still going strong. The Palmer regulator also supports higher pressure and flow rates - meaning it's LOTS louder now than it was at MOTD. I love it.

I also wired in a 12v wireless remote trigger that I got for about $15 bucks on eBay. Wired that in hot to the battery, so I can trigger the horn from about 50 feet away with a little key fob remote. A great way to scare the beejeezus outta unsuspecting "victims"...

 

Oh....my....gawd! I just choked on my coke when I read ^^^ and envisioned someone's reaction!

 

Dude... ROCK... ON

 

I have literally seen people jump a foot straight up.

 

very nice, now get out there and scare the pi$$ out of some people at super market!

 

Updated pic of my current rig.

 

thats nice!!

 

Yep... I've been very unhappy with the Kobalt unit. I was only getting a week out of a 9oz tank, even if I never blew the horn at all. I was thinking of switching to an honest-to-God air tank and compressor, but I really don't want to hear the compressor kicking on all the time... the CO2 is really a much more elegant solution.

I think that I'll have to upgrade to your regulator solution. The better flow is a bonus, too! :D

 

Yeah, I'm MUCH happier with my new regulator.

I, too, was considering going to a compressor. Not anymore. And the Palmer reg was much cheaper than an appropriate compressor and tank woulda been.