cruise control

[Pete McCluskey.]

Has anyone fitted cruise control on a 40? I know we all love
to drive, but I find cruise control really handy to stop
"accidently" exceeding the speed limit.
If anyone has fitted a device I would be interested in make,
how difficult to fit and where to get the kit.

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Cruise should not be a problem, there are many kits available that allow operation with a manual trans. They use a magnet pickup on a halfshaft for speed reading or some can take a signal from an electronic sensor that feeds the speedo. The controls can be stalk mounted or are avaiable with a small box of buttons that would easily go on the instrument panel. Many parts store have these or you could go to the master GT40 parts vendor, J.C. Whitney! Make sure you have a kit for a manual that has a clutch defeat sensor, you don't want to over-rev when you go to shift....

Rick /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[ChrisL]

Pete,

Autobarn sell a complete unit with a variety of control types... stalk mounted, dash mounted or steering wheel mounted. The steering mount option has an infrared connection to a dash receiver avoiding the need for fancy wiring. The cost of the complete unit is between $Aus400 and $Aus500 depending on the control.

I only had a casual glance so I can't give you brand details or recomendations... although I can say that the brand name didn't ring any bells with me.

 

[Hershal Byrd]

Pete,
If you have an eight barrel injection system on your GT then I would forget about the cruise control. I have the cruise on my car but it will not stay set. It kicks itself off and hunts or surges. I have talked to another person about this and he has had the same problem.
If anyone out there has done this successfully I sure would like to know.

Hersh

 

[ChrisL]

That's very interesting Hersh. I wonder if it may be that the throttle actuator is calibrated for a less powerful car? Would I be correct in saying that the correct speed of the throttle movement is not something that the unit would be able determine, so it may be overcompensating between samples. Of coarse, if that were the case then the problem would exist for all powerful cars regardless of the induction setup.

I'm just theorising??? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Hershal Byrd]

Chis,
I have used webbers on my 34 Ford Vicky street rod. It has cruise too. It would never work with the webbers properly. It did the same thing. It would kick off or it would be surging. I tried every method known to man but never got it to work until I put on a Tuned Port Injection unit off a corvette. I just hooked it up and it worked. When I put cruise on the GT I was thinking the whole time about the webbers that wouldn't work. well I got it in and found the same problem. Personally I think it's the geometry of the throttle linkage. It seems to be a lot of pull pressure for the servo to hold steady. That's why I think it releases itself after it surges a few times. All I know is I haven't found the answer yet. I sure hope someone figures it out.

Hersh

 

[Dave Wharran]

I've experienced the same type of surging problems when trying to install an aftermarket cruise control on a high HP, light weight car (not the GT). The gain on the cruise control was too high and would overcompensate. I tried changing the linkage ratio so that the cruise control made smaller throttle changes, but it was still too sensitive. There was no type of gain adjustment on the cruise control itself. One could probably experiment with using more pulses per rev of the halfshaft, but I gave it up as too time consuming for the benefit received.

 

I sell a cruise control that works well on Cobras, so I don't see why it would not work well on the GT40. It has adjustable sensitivity and is all electronic.

 

[Hershal Byrd]

Hi Wayne,
Ole' Buddy if you get your cruise unit to work then
let me know and I'll make an appointment for you to
put one in my GT. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have tried two units. A Dakota Digital and a Rostra Ultra
Cruise II. I have done everything I can think of and
still no go. Then again, when it comes to electronics
I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Hersh

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Hersh I am using an eight barrel injection setup so am very interested in the replies so far.
Wayne, what hosepower was the Cobra putting out? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

Sorry about the delay guys but I was out of town for 3 weeks.
Hersch, I know I can get it to work just fine for you. Do you have a cable driven speedo or electronic?
Pete, the cobra had about 340 HP

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Thanks Wayne I'm looking for 400/450 hp so when I get to that stage I think I'll try one out. Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[Hershal Byrd]

Wayne,
I too was out of town and missed your reply. I have a cable drive speedo. I also have the little hall effect sensor that goes in between the trans and the cable.
If I get some time I will call and make an appointment and drive it to your shop.

Hersh

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Hersh,

Cruise? No problem, you need to use the system a friends father used many years ago. He had a first gen VW Westfalia camper and went every year to Indy for qualifying...his son Chuck and I would Greyhound out to meet him, spend the weekend watching Mario, etc. and then dad would drive us home to Buffalo. With the V-Dub camper the cruise was a brick placed on the "go" pedal...62 MPH when the wind was to your back...56 when the wind was ahead!

I watched several GT 40s this past weekend at the Glen and none seemed to able to hold a steady speed /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

If you want steady and air conditioned, buy a Cadillac....

Riock /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Hershal Byrd]

That's a good one Rick. I had an old Westfalia too and it
was a bit pokey especially in the wind.
I unfortunatly have a right leg that was injured in a far away place and it tends to stiffen up significantly on long trips. It really is a discomfort without the cruise. I have it on my Cobra too and it really is a welcomed addition. I have close to 50,000 miles on the Cobra with over 5 trips back to the midwest in it.

Hersh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif