RE: was Cruise Control now Potential Safety Issues

[Butch Edison <waedison@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

My thanks to Dennis as well. I'd like to drive my cars more long distances, but can't abide my right hip cramping up for days after. I'll install one of these.

My daughter had a near-death misfortune with an aftermarket cruise control I had installed on a car for her several years ago. I had it 'professionally' installed by the dealer. A few months later, she floored the accelerator to pass a car and a component of the control lodged under the carburetor. So, she's going faster and faster down the freeway, can't shut the key off or the steering would lock. She just slammed on the brakes until she could get it slowed down, engine racing, brakes smoking, then shut it off. I was furious after being scared to death. Went back to the dealer and blew up at the owner for such a crap job that nearly cost my daughter her life. As sometimes happens, his only concern was trying to not pay for the damage to her brakes and tires. Otherwise, he did not see what the big deal was.

I'm sure this install is quite safe, point is..... check every possible point of failure and put in a safety of some kind. For example, I had a throttle spring break on one of my 64 Sport Furys just as I started it. It just never occurred to me that one could break or what would happen if it did. Of course the engine then went to max revs and I immediately shut it off. Could have happened at a school cross walk just as easily. Now I put NEW springs (one primary and one weak safety) spring on the throttle. It's a habit for me now to routinely grab those springs and give them a twist. Good thing too, with my wife's 37 hot rod Plymouth coupe. I did that little test a couple of weeks ago and the spring broke off in my hand. I already had the weak secondary spring on it, so it wouldn't have taken her to max rev in 2 seconds, but still had some 'line of fire' potential.

Sorry about prattling on. Just want everyone to stay safe as we work on the old iron. If you know of other points of potential failure on our old rigs, I'd like to hear it.

/Butch/Ferndale, WA


-----Original Message-----
From: Gary H. [mailto:spigot2039@xxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 8:26 AM
To: 1962to1965mopars@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Cruise Control


Hi all,

The review of a cruise control instal in a 1963 Plymouth are now online. Thanks to Dennis C. for writing the article and sharing the install! 

http://1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/cruise-control.html  is the address.

Thanks,
Gary H.


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Please address private mail -- mail of interest to only one person -- directly to that person.  I.e., send parts/car transactions and negotiations as well as other personal messages only to the intended recipient, not to the Clubhouse public address. This practice will protect your privacy, reduce the total volume of mail and fine tune the content signal to Mopar topic.  Thanks!

'62 to '65 Mopar Clubhouse Discussion Guidelines:
http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.org/mletiq.html.