Fear. Shock. Complete surprise. All of these emotions, and some choice few words, were all associated with victims of our Hornblasters Shocker 540 Conductor's Special. Hearing the constant train horn battles at truck shows left a bitter taste in our mouths and created an almost hatred for the loud devices. A few bad apples at a truck show shouldn't ruin our freeway fun, right? After fighting the urge to add train horns to one of our project trucks, we finally made the call to Hornblasters and ordered a Conductor Special (or train horn lingo for really friggin' loud horns).
This train horn kit is legit. Arriving in three large boxes, the kit was intense and there was no looking back. Detailed instructions helped us figure out how to mount the four horns, 5-gallon air tank, Viair 400C compressor, Viair 100/150 psi pressure switch, run the 5/16-inch air line, and wire everything up.
Editor's Note:
It should be mentioned that not everyone will take being scared or surprised with a grain of salt. After going through an intersection and hitting the horn, we experienced some collateral damage. Once we parked the truck, someone followed us and emptied a full milkshake on our custom candy blue paint. That didn't make us happy, but maybe we should have expected it.
From the Driver Seat
A couple of shortcomings in the kit left us scratching our heads. For instance, the top of each horn bell has a mounting stud, but the kit doesn't include any type of mounting hardware for the horns. We also worry about the length of the supplied air line, as 20 feet of air line was barely enough for our truck even though our tank/compressor assembly was mounted very close to the horns and the included wiring wasn't long enough for our crew cab truck. For almost $600, we don't think we should have to go buy anything to install the horns. That said, one flick of the switch and you'll forget about the installation as 152dB rattles through your core and strikes fear into anyone remotely close to you. If road rage is a problem, unleashing these horns on the unsuspecting public may just be the stress release you need. It is addicting and we did warn you.
Your Questions Answred
Time Spent Working: 11 Hours
Degree Of Difficulty: Moderate
Tools Needed:
Razor blade, wire strippers, pipe wrenches, drill and bits, standard wrenches, zip ties, wire split loom
Parts Used:
Hornblasters Conductor's Special Model 540
$584.99
Assorted mounting hardware from Home Depot
$27.50
TOTAL: $612.49
(prices from hornblasters.com)
