Dennis writes: I have used this AUDIOVOX CCS100 Cruise Control unit on several vehicles, including my 1963 Plymouth Sport Fury that has a 383 and 4-speed transmission.
Dennis writes: I have used this AUDIOVOX CCS100 Cruise Control unit on several vehicles, including my 1963 Plymouth Sport Fury that has a 383 and 4-speed transmission. |
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The Audiovox unit is cheap; searches on the Web will result in prices around $100.00 and possibly less. [Editor: See below.]
This is a vacuum unit however is does very well on my 1963 Sport Fury that has a cruising vacuum of around 16” to 18” of vacuum. I am not using a vacuum canister. The Audiovox Instruction Manual [.PDF File] discusses the use of a vacuum canister if vacuum is low.
What makes this unit attractive is that it will work on a manual transmission car and it does not need the magnets on the driveshaft like old units and it does not need a switch on the clutch. The unit has and internal ‘over-rev’ function that will kick it out of cruise if there is a sudden rise in engine R.P.M. The unit gets the vehicle speed signal from either a VSS signal from a computer controlled car, magnetic sensor and magnets on the drive shaft or tach signal from the negative coil terminal.
NOTE: I have no idea if this will work on an ignition system with a multiple strike ignition system.
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I installed the unit where the battery was originally located; my battery is now in the trunk. |
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I have an alarm on the car and moved the alarm horn to gain access to the dip switch setting.
If I still had the battery in the original location I would try to mount it under the battery tray. A friend who works in a restoration shop recommend that I mount it under the dash, I didn’t want to try to find a location and fabricate a bracket. My car is a “driver” and I don’t mind it being seen.
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I mounted the control switch unit in my ashtray. I considered putting it on a hinged bracket that could be flipped up out of sight but took the easy way. |
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As you can see the Mopar is a work in progress with a temporary dash panel. I have not decided on the final layout. The original dash was too far gone to attempt to restore.
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Below are a few pictures of what comes in the kit.
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 (The package shown is for the magnets and sensor when putting it on a drive shaft; it must be a part number if ordered separately, it came in the box with the CCS-100.) |
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The control switch panel is approximately 2 1/8” by 1½”
Setup is very straightforward for the unit. I am using the following dip switch settings:
The cruise control connects to the existing brake light switch circuit.
The Gray and Black wires that come combined as a pair are not used, you can cut them out of the connector: this is not well explained in the manual.
View ConnectorYou can get your 12-volt switched from under the dash however I just took mine off of the ignition side of the voltage regulator.
I took the 12-volt constant voltage from the large lug on the starter relay.
The only problem I have experienced with the unit is when I have been driving under cruise control and I have to make many speed increases and decreases it will stop responding to the Set / Reset buttons, I just turn it off and back on and it is back to normal.
When installing a cruise control in ANY vehicle (new or old) it is very important that all linkage be checked at all throttle positions to insure that it will not bind or come off.
People like to see our old Mopars on the road and the cruise control really makes driving the old cars much more fun.
If it does not work for you – it didn’t cost much and it did not require modifications to your car.
Disclaimer: I have no connection with Audiovox or with anyone who sells Audiovox.
Dennis C.
Download the Audiovox CCS-100 Instruction Manual: from Audiovox or from an Audiovox Support Vendor. |
Side bar comment Butch E. writes: I am 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 carburetor throttle spring break on my 1964 Sport Fury just as I started it. It just never occurred to me that a carburetor spring 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 is a habit for me now to routinely grab those springs and give them a twist. (Good thing too, with my wife’s 1937 hot rod Plymouth coupe I did that little test and the spring broke off in my hand. I already had the weak secondary spring on it, so it would not have taken her to max rev in 2 seconds, but still had some “line of fire” potential.) |
[Editor’s Note: For example, the unit is available from Amazon, |