Technical Junkyard cruise control

I saw a early 1990's Chevy G20 van at the junkyard the other day with a fully intact cruise control servo, etc. that looked like new. It had a few vacuum lines and a wiring harness that I ***ume went to a cruise control module. No speedo lines however. I'm guessing it just uses power, ground, and some type of vehicle speed signal.

That got me to wondering about which Chevy junk yard cruise control units are the most swap friendly?
As well as which ones work the best and are the most reliable?
I have a 1970's Caddy 472 in my rod with a 1990 Chevy 1500 steering column with cruise on the stalk.

 

Rostra 16-R is the one I'd look for....it's aftermarket, from the 1990s.

I think GM used a buffer box to get a signal from the trans speed sensor, to the engine computer and cruise control.

But hot rods don't have cruise control!

 

I used one from a 95 Corsica, but Squirrel is right about the buffer box and speed sensor. I had a 700R4 transmission so I had the speed sensor.

 

They connect to the engine computer? Or just the cruise control box?

 

95 is probably OBII. Did it connect to the ECM?

 

What do you think the cable (or lever) labeled "throttle" does?

 

My cruise control is right at the bottom of my right leg !

 

It did not connect to the ECM. I found instructions on using that on line. I tried finding the instructions yesterday but no luck. I did mine in about 2003.

 

It doesn't control the cruise....but it will let you have a fast idle.

Although mine is not connected.

 

Thanks, if there's no cable connection that sounds like an easy swap. Lot's of Corisa's in the junkyard.

 

Why are we discussing cruise control modules on a traditional hot rod site? Tagman had it right.

 

Here we go. Telling people how to build *their* rods.

 

Sadly, some of us are at the age and health that these units need to be considered.
I did a m***ive drive last year from east to west cost almost and in and out of Canada, 13,000+ miles in fact.
Too long behind the wheel and my right ankle which had a bad basketball injury from years ago started to act up and so I am very interested to read info about cruise controls.
So please lets keep it going for now...

 

Thanks fiftyv8!!

 

Plus cruise controls help to keep you from getting tickets for speeding, I use it on my DD all the time. I will be putting one on my 49 once it's on the street.

 

I bought an old Spark-o-Matic unit still in the box a while back and it worked great. Had a small CPU that monitored engine RPM at the distributor tach connection and fed the info to a vacuum servo that controlled the throttle. I don't understand all the hype about pick-ups on the drive shaft or transmission inputs. If the RPMs are steady the vehicle runs the same speed. The Spark-o-Matic people made a great simple product that worked. If you ever find one, buy it. I'm with fiftyv8, with all my arm and leg injury's and age, my cars need power steering and cruise.

 

I like CC and use it on my daily drivers. But this is a forum for traditional, period correct hot rods and customs.
The idea for cruise control has been around for a long time, but wasn't offered on an American car until 1965. Since you are new, perhaps you missed this first post from the boss?

"The Traditional Hot Rod forum is reserved for threads and posts pertaining to period correct hot rods only. Please use this forum for technical threads, build threads, historical threads, and feature threads only."
Guess you'll have to decide for yourself it it fits.

 

Thanks. I'll see if I can find one.

 

In the past month or so I've seen posts on S-10 rear ends, grant steering wheels, and modern stereos. Lot's of us have medical issues if you weren't aware. I have a blown out leg thanks to my time in the service. If you don't have anything useful as far as cruise I would appreciate it if you would move along.

 

I am sure we are both traditional hot rodders in our own way but have a need for a little help.
Should somebody be suffering a disability surely we as hot rodders can see value in offering some knowledge to the situation.
No different to some of us requiring an auto ****** just to help us stay in the old cars that we too love and enjoy.

 

I guess the one mounted in the dash of my 1964 Continental must have been aftermarket then. Even though it had Lincoln part numbers on it.

 

Cruise control that's period correct- on topic.
Cruise control out of a Corsica- off topic.

The thread'll get killed eventually. And people will whine & *****, but it'll be an editorial thing. Figuring this place out isn't rocket science, guys.

 

Maybe. But there's a thousand threads on non-period correct parts if you search.

 

I can't believe what I am reading here, the guy has leg damage, he served, is into hot rods, he has come to the best place on earth hot rod wise to ask for a little help/guidance and he is starting to get grief.
Please brothers that is not the way forward.
I'm sure he would have preferred things to be different, as I would with a similar issue.
If a Corsica unit is cheap and suitable why not, surely this is still in the spirit of hot rodding.
He ain't the enemy here...

 

See- people can't figure out that it's an editorial thing. They wanna make it personal. The HAMB isn't about the "spirit of hot rodding". It's about traditional hot rods & customs, about cars built in a certain era. Some stuff gets by, some stuff doesn't. Nobody is an "enemy" here.

But hey, on the bright side, I saw this thread this morning & figured it'd be long gone before lunch. It's still here.

 

Cadillac had cruise long before 1965. I think 59 was the first year.

I had cruise in my 55, which ran in the low 11s eventually with it's blown 454. It was real nice on those cross country trips to go drag racing, like driving to the HAMB drags.

I'd kind of like to find one of the early Caddy units to put in my Chevy II. gotta be mechanical to be era correct.

 

Yep. Many cars had them starting in the late 1950's. Period correct and invented by a BLIND man.

The first cars to boast the new technology were the 1958 models of the Chrysler Imperial, New Yorker and Windsor. By 1960, cruise control was a standard feature on all Cadillacs. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/11/blind-man-created-cruise-control/

 

There seems to be conflicting data as to the first installations:
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/11/blind-man-created-cruise-control/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_control

As far as being appropriate, I guess it will hang around until a moderator runs across it and decides. Good luck with your ride. It's not personal, but it's also not quite traditional.

 

Thanks.

 

59 caddy brochure