Model A Sparton Horn Maintenance Question

The Model A Sparton Horn One of the sounds that sets our ‘A’s apart is the Ah-ooo-gah horn. These wonderful sounding devices that Henry equipped his Model ‘A’s with were made by several manufacturers, including Henry himself. The SPARTON which seems to be the most common were made in the tens of thousands. The two men behind the company were Phillip and Winthrop Withington, who started the company in 1900, in Jackson, Michigan, with $15,000 and a dozen employees. They were soon joined by a man by the name William Sparks. In 1911 Sparks and Withington developed the alleged first Ah-ooo-gah horn ever. William Sparks was a man of many endeavors. Born in England in 1882, he moved to Jackson at the age of nine. He later served 3 terms as mayor, and president of the chamber of commerce twice. He organized the ‘Zouaves’, A world famous drill team known for their fast cadence of 300 steps per minute (standard overtime is 240 steps a minute).

However, most of all, he was a crackerjack salesman! He found the company name in his sales pitches, to be too cumbersome, Sparks and Withington Co. He shortened it to ‘Spar’ for Sparks and ‘ton’ for Withington’ to make the name ‘SPARTON’. The company traveled major highways around the U.S. erecting round red with white lettering porcelain signs that said: ‘Safety First, Sound your SPARTON’!

SPARTON MAINTENANCE

The quality of tone, and length of service received from the horn, depends entirely on the care they receive. To produce the most effective tone, it is necessary that the armature revolve at a high rate of speed. This speed is possible only when bearings are properly oiled, and the commutator and brushes are kept clean.

Once a month, remove the motor cover allocated at the rear of the horn and place a few drops of very fine oil in the groove at each end of the armature shaft.

To clean the commutator, set the motor in motion by pressing the horn button. While the motor is revolving, hold a piece of fine sandpaper against commutator, until the commutator is clean. Next, with a small piece of wood, clean the gaps between the commutator segments. Do not use metal when cleaning the gaps. When turned with the fingers, the armature should revolve freely. Should it fail to operate, examine the battery, the wiring and the horn button.

Adjust by turning the screw at the back, next to the screw that allows the cover to be removed. Turning this screw to the right tightens the adjustment. Turning the screw to the left loosens the adjustment. Regulate the adjustment until the desired tone is obtained. This one sound endures thousands of people to the Model ‘A’ even if they just like to look at them.

~ Ernie from the Desert A, newsletter of the Model A Restorers Club of Arizona