Cruise Control (was Mid 70s Chrysler...)

[Christopher Hoffman <imperial67@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Cruise control stopped being called Auto Pilot for 1969, which is when the
controls moved from the dash to the turn signal stalk. The 67-68 system used
a thumbwheel dial to select the speed and an off-on switch to engage the
system. You'd set the off-on switch to "auto," dial in the speed (it was
indexed, not accurately numbered, so that "5" corresponded vaguely to 50
mph, etc.), and then accelerate to that speed as you normally would. When
you felt resistance on the gas pedal, you could let up and the system would
maintain that speed. Stepping on the brake or turning the switch off would
disengage the system, but if you had used the brake (but left the switch in
"auto" and not turned off the car) you could resume your previously set
speed by manually accelerating back to the point of pedal resistance.

In the fuselage years, it used a rotating chrome collar near the end of the
stalk, with the basic positions being off, on and resume. A pushbutton on
the end of the stalk would set the system to hold whatever speed you were
driving at the moment (you had to be driving above 25 or 35 mph, I believe).

For 1974, the rotating collar became a slide-bar on the enlarged endpiece of
the stalk, with the same three positions (off-on-resume). Speed was again
set by pushing in a button at the end of the stalk.

For both 1969-on designs, the "resume" setting was a "momentary" (meaning
"push and release") position, with the switch springing back to "on" once
released. It re-accelerated the vehicle to the previously set speed if you
had cancelled cruising by stepping on the brake.

The set speed "memory" was not retained when you moved the switch to "off"
or turned off the car.

The operating mechanisms under the hood, including the servo, were fairly
similar in principle and design from 1969 on.

Chris in LA
67 Crown (no Auto Pilot)
78 NYB Salon (cruise, works perfectly)

On 8/23/04 9:38 pm, jsadowski (jsadowski@xxxxxxx) wrote:

I believe the first year was 67. I know for certain that 69 had the controls
on the T/S stalk.