cruise control unit for 72

[compmaker]

I want a cruise control unit for a 72 elky setup. I don't have cruise so i need all of it thanks. sweep style gauges if it matters.

[skinyfisher]

If your locked into a pure stock unit this will not help you. But if you wish a good working unit that will fit and install in 3 hours than try looking up the universal model for your year spread made by Audiovox. Should cost around $95 to 100, comes with every thing needed to install it. It wiill hide completely or put it in and easy area depends on if you wish it visible. I have had mine for 4 year now and it works as good as any new car with a factory unit, some of that depend on how creative you are with the switching and brake switch change over.

[compmaker]

I would prefer a stock unit. how easy was it to install? and can i have it turn signal mounted?

[Mike P]

If you want factory, your best bet will probably be the 70s style setup.

You will probably need to go junk yard shopping to get all the pieces you will need but it should not be extremely expensive, I can normally buy what I need at the local wrecking yard use the JY transducer for a core and buy a rebuilt one and still only be into the system for the cost of a decent after market cruise control set up.

The best donors to look at will be almost any 70’s GM to include trucks and vans. The parts you need are the speedometer cables, transducer with bracket, the standalone wiring harness, vacuum pod brackets and linkage (possible to include the accelerator cable bracket depending on the style), brake switch and turn signal handle.

Installation is not really difficult especially if you have already taken one out. To remove the turn signal handle you will need to remove the steering wheel and be kind of careful pulling the wires from the cruise switch, and you may have to add one hole in your fire wall for the wiring harness but it’s really not bad.



I posted this last night on another Cruise thread that pretty much explains what the setup is and how it works;

“…..The box the speedometer cable connects to is called the transducer, and there should be a cable from the transmission going to it and a second cable from it to the speedometer.

The transducer is what senses the vehicle speed and controls the amount of vacuum that is applied to the pod that maintains the vehicle speed thru a piece of mechanical linkage attached to the carburetor.

There is a standalone wiring/vacuum hose harness that connects the transducer to the brake peddle switch (which shuts off the cruise and dumps the vacuum from the pod when the brakes are applied), the switch that turns on the cruise which is located on the end of the turn signal handle and a power wire that connects to the fuse box.

To operate the system you go up to the desired speed and punch the button on the handle. To shut it off tap the brake. There is no Accel, resume or cost feature with this style cruise.

On the plus side my personal experience is they are pretty reliable and the only 2 things that normally go wrong with them are the transducers (which can be purchased rebuilt for about $75) or the switch which are unfortunately getting hard to find and can be pretty expensive (the NOS one I saw on E Bay had a $165 buy it now price)……”

I don’t have a picture of turn signal handle, but this is what the transducer looks like:




And this is what the vacuum pod looks like (this one has been slightly modified to fit the 500 CI Cadillac it's sitting on

[caminonut]

That Vacuum Pod is the style I also used on my '71 Elcamino I got the hole set up from a F-Body small block Monte Carlo I think the year was an '84 or '85
I used the hole set up from the Monte Carlo including the blinker arm...
I had to change the upper most part of my Stock Column from the tilt joint to the top of the Column so I could use the later model blinker arm with the cruse and delay wiper's with high beam set up...

It was very easy to change the top of the Column and add the delay wiper motor...

[Mike P]

Are you using just the cruise function or do oyu have other features enabled?

The reason I ask is I believe that besides the earlier handle looking closer to stock in the 72, it should be a bolt in to the stock steering column. If all he will gain is the cruise then the earlier handle would be the way to go to minimize work (provided he can get one at a decent price).





Of course another option I have used when I put this type of cruise in a custom application is to not use the turn signal switch at all, but rather discretly mount a momentary push button switch somewhere to activate the cruise.

[caminonut]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Are you using just the cruise function or do oyu have other features enabled?

The reason I ask is I believe that besides the earlier handle looking closer to stock in the 72, it should be a bolt in to the stock steering column. If all he will gain is the cruise then the earlier handle would be the way to go to minimize work (provided he can get one at a decent price).





Of course another option I have used when I put this type of cruise in a custom application is to not use the turn signal switch at all, but rather discretly mount a momentary push button switch somewhere to activate the cruise.

Yes, I have the Delay wiper's working and the High Beam set up being used like on the later model's, my high beam switch is on the bottom of the column now to work with the blinker switch by pulling forward...
That is the only reason why I changed the top of my Column...

He can use the stock looking blinker handle for cruise with all the other parts from a later Model Monte Carlo like I did with no problem and that way it will look stock inside the car...

[compmaker]

So I need a transducer, turn signal lever, upper and lower speedo cables with cruise, harness, vaccume lines, vacume from where to where though??? Distrib? or Carb or??? what else will i need????? thanks.