Horn Buttons

[TAYZ]

Probably a silly question, but I noticed with FC's that there seems to be two differenmt coloured horn buttons.  One is red with blue centre and the other is red with gold centre??   Did the one come out on the FC at a later date??  The one in mine has a gold centre, cheers

                                            TAYZ 58

[RET]

If you do a bit of a search you find this has been discussed quite a few times.

This is what I know:

- There were at least two different manufacturers of horn-buttons for GM-H.  There are variations in the location of the outer ring and size of the lettering that suggest multiple manufacturers (or at the very least multiple moulds).  Most outsourced parts had at least 2 suppliers.
- There was significant variation in the central colour of the horn-button.  Others have seen some that were definitely green, although I have not.

This is what I believe:
- There weren't any manufactured with gold centres.  The blue (or possibly green) colour has simply faded away, leaving the vacuum-metallised gold colour behind.

There is no question that the shield in FE bonnet buttons were ever any other colour but blue, and you see exactly the same effect on them: first the blue goes, then the red and finally the gold until there's nothing left.

cheers
RET

[FE_UTE]

Heres some pics of fading horn buttons and also by different makers

The first has all the colours, in the second the silver is starting to go gold, the next the silver has gone gold and the blue has darkened as has the next only more so and then finally the centre is all gold
The next pic is the backs and they have a different colour as the block out. Three have silver and two have  an off white.
The silver ones have different raised lettering on the back and they are different to the white backed ones
The white backed ones have a smaller shield and HOLDEN is closer to the shield
The second and fifth in the row of 5 are off  FCs and the third is off my FE  both  

[Blown_FC]

Bl**dy h*ll Gary.....given current asking prices, you're sitting on best part of a Grands worth of Horn Buttons !

Nice collection.....good to know (lol)

Cheers

Mark

[FC-V8]

Hi all
           I was talking to a mate yesterday who reminded that he has what he was told to be two brand new prototype horn buttons. He said were both a very dark blood red with gold stars & one has a gold ring around the outer edge. He got them off a elderly gent who said he was in charge on the development of the buttons for FE.FC,FB & these were the designs that never got released. Maybe one of the gurus might be able to shed some light.
Glenn

[gp]

Lets see some photos of them!

[FC-V8]

My mate has sent me a couple of photos to my mobile phone of them they are both the really deep red, both have the holden lion but with no sheild, both have the gold ring around the outside edge, & one has the southern cross stars around the lion.
I can email them from my phone to someone to post here if they can.
Glenn
P/S The pictures are not very clear but you can still see they a lot different to the standard type.
P/SS They both have the following text on the back
     holden     -98-7414363          3385-1

[craiga]

[RET]

The description sounds like an FB/EK button in different colours.  And what do you know?  7414363 is the part number for an FB Horn Button.  So I'm guessing it is/was a prototype for that model, rather than FE/FC.

Love to see it, just the same.

cheers
RET

[edit: while I'm typing, CraigA's posting the pic.... ]

[FC-V8]

Thanks for posting them Craig
Cheers
Glenn

[RET]

Wow!  What a rarity.  Even more than a oil-bath air cleaner

It just occurred to me that FB/EK buttons have the key (the locating lug) at the opposite end to FE/FC.  So if you turn those prototypes over you'll soon see whether they'd be the right way up or not when fitted to FE/FC horn ring...

To be honest, the eventual black and blue/green stars version is definitely more appealing.

cheers
RET

[FC-V8]

Thanks Ret
                 I just spoke to my mate he has a original type fc to compare the prototypes to & the locating lug is to suit FB,EK all this time he thought they were FC because the old guy had 4 prototypes originally the 2 he sold to my mate as fe/fc & 2 he sold to another bloke thinking they were fb/ek.
So that means there is 2 fc/fe prototypes still out there somewhere.
Cheers
Glenn

[Martin]

Now that's what I call "rare".

Fascinating.  Many thanks for the look, Glenn.

I'm with RET - I like the blck FB/EK buttons.

Martin