OK ok it's a total luxo streetrod-ish kind of item, but I'm building a kustom and dammit I just think it'd be cool to have! Now the hard part, I've just started looking around the web and i'm seeing all kinds of stuff, but what I'm looking for specifically is a *cheap* way to install cruise, if that's possible! I just thought maybe there's something I could get at pickapart that's adaptable, so far I've found bupkis, but if anybody knows it's someone on the HAMB! I can't use a horrible plastic stalk on my steering column or something, but maybe just a dashboard switch can be made to work. Or maybe I should just put a switch on the dash and lable it 'cruise control' and call it done! thanks guys!
Years ago they used to sell an add on kit that used a magnet taped to the driveshaft with a pickup to count and maintain the same driveshaft RPMs but I have not seen it advertised in a while. I put it on my first 34 P/U about 25 years ago. That was when streetrod was not a dirty word.
When I sold cars we used to install an aftermarket cruise to put on trucks (small import trucks never had cruise). They did use the stalk on the column but if you could find one of these, I imagine you could install the switch under the dash or something.
Guess it depends on how much you think a "fortune" is...there are plenty of aftermarket cruise controls...I've added three to as many vehicles in the last few years (don't ask me where I got them or who manufactured them cuz I don't recall nor do I have receipts)...but I can tell you it's always been under $200.00 (each)...I don't call that a small fortune... R-
Earlier this year I added an Audiovox CSC100 to the 5.0 powered MGB and liked it so much that I added one to my bottom of the line '97 5-speed Nissan pick up. At 1980 pounds and 300 hp, the B is super sensitive to small throttle changes and was very goosey until I fabbed up a 1/2 gallon vacuum reservoir - it smoothed right out. I added a green bean can sized reservoir to the pickup and it's absolutely smooth as glass - equal or better than the factory units. I got mine off eBay for about $80.00 each (new) I found that some of the sellers charge a lot more shipping than others. Everything you need to adapt any application is in the kit - between the two kits, I had about a pound of leftover cable ends, good vacuum hose and many vacuum adapters, ball-chain, and cad plated brackets for future projects. The MG took about 45 minutes end to end. I used the driveshaft mounted sensor, and With a stick shift, you'll need to add a cut out switch to the clutch to keep the tach needle from bouncing off the stop should you decide to downshift while cruising at 70... According to the GPS unit, when I set the truck to cruise at 68mph on a heavily enforced stretch of I95, over a 100 mile non-stop run with some small hills, it averaged 67.1 mph. The control unit is very simple - just two 2-position rocker switches and a bright green led - had to put a dab of green paint on it to kill the night glare. The controller is adustable for different cruise rpm at 60 so it doesn;t make a lot of difference what gears or tires you run. Audiovox instructions are ok but not great and the company's tech line is staffed by non-gearheads. Their manual stops at 1994! Anyway, there are a few good websites that are dedicated to cruise control, and I can probably help if you get in a bind.
I have had great luck with the audiovox units. I did buy them at Autozone for about $90 but recently they told me that they no longer sell the unit. To bad cause they work great and they are cheap. John
look into 70s chrysler products for an easy self contained cruise control the switch will screw right onto a GM turn signal lever I don't have pics handy but it is a very easy swap to other makers cars should be cheap in a junk yard doesn't matter what model just mopar 70s cruise control
I'll be darned the audiovox works on a carbureted car?! Great! The one I saw on eBay needed a vss, but now I see the audiovox mentioned on amazon for <$90! Gotta like that! Thanks you guys!
Here are a few, http://www.affordablestreetrods.com/AFSR-Electrical3.htm or http://www.dakotadigital.com/index....ategory_ID=213/home_id=59/mode=cat/cat213.htm
I had an aftermarket cruise control years ago that picked up a signal by clipping a small coil to a plug wire - similar to a timing light. Sorry, don't remember the brand name.
I installed one of these in my 56 TBird for a trip to Oregon. It worked good. Install was somewhat of a bear but then again I'm real fussy on how I install things.
Sorry to jack the thread, but I had a '68 GT6 with a K code 289 / T5. I would've had a blast racing you. I've thought about cruise control in some older cars myself. Being around airplanes, I always thought it would be neat to just have a manual cruise control hooked directly to the throttle. Sounds scary to some folks, but if you don't trust your work, don't do it. There's always nice looking knobs available to match your interior as well. Depending on how rare your car is, and how picky you are with the knob... you could make one of these setups work reliably and safely for around 25ish bucks, and it wouldn't look as nasty as a plastic switch sticking out like a sore thumb. You wouldn't want the end piece to the carburetor or throttle body (if you're an EFI kinda guy) to be stiff wire, like a choke cable. You'd want it to be a small chain like what's on most cruise controls from the 80's-90's. Just my 2.
About 22 years ago I got one of those from Monkey Wards, it worked great on my 39 Pontiac street ro-------uuuhhhh I mean hot rod. Sure is hard to follow the trends sometimes.
Toyota diesel 4x4 's have a very simple knob on the dash for holding engine rpm works a turn to increase an turn the other for quick release ....
Since the gas pedal position on my Track T puts my right foot in a weird position, I also needed a form of cruise control that would allow me to relax my leg on long trips. Cruise controll would look ugly on an engine with no hood, so I did it the old fashioned way, I used a throttle cable. The cable is a universal choke cable that I bought at Autozone, it mounts to the dash, and is held in place to a bracket on the intake manifold. I set the gas pedal at the speed I want to go with my foot, and reach over to the knob on the dash and pull the cable so that the throttle stays at that position. The gas pedal does not need to be depressed with the cable set. Now before anyone says how dangerous this is, lots of trucks came from the factory with just such a throttle cable, I have an original '70 Chevy pickup with one. Even if you did forget to release the cable when you need to slow down, the throttle opening at say 65 mph is so small that you could easily slow the car down with the brakes if you needed to. (ask me how I know) It works great, does not look out of place and was less than $10.
I should have mentioned, if you want something really simple do what I did to my Jeep. I took a shift lever from an old 10 speed bike and attached it to my gear shift handle, and ran the cable to the throttle body (or carb) . I can drive the Jeep with my right hand, or by tightening the adjuster, it will hold any position I put it in. It's not the same as cruise control of course, but I really like it.
When I had a flathead in my 39 it had a stock throttle knob that ran to the carb. Using a snap type closepin to hold it in place gave a sort of cruse control hat worked on long trips.
Just an update, in case anybody is interested, Kragens aka advanceauto.com has the audiovox cruise control kit on clearance for a whopping $27! You have to go instore to get it, but they come with everything you need to hook up on a non computer controlled car. it uses a cool little switch pad you can put on your dash, about the size of a credit card or less. Cheapest I found was $89 on Amazon otherwise.
THe '55 Chevy second series 6 cyl. I have has the CHOKE and THROTTLE labeled on seperate cables and I bought new replacements at the Chevy truck shop in Orange. The Fiat 850 Spyder I usta own in the '70's ($200 car with American mags, couldn't pass it up) had the same kind of setup and I used the throttle cable for a cruise control all the time. DON'T use the choke for this though because it not only speeds up the engine but enriches the mixture at the same time. This dual cable CHOKE and THROTTLE splits those fast idle and enrichment functions allowing this to work. I think the reason trucks had them long into the '50's is because it allowed farmers to set the throttle and allow an unmanned truck to lumber through a field following the plowed ruts while he loaded produce in it?
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