44 replies to this topic

[tomsbluemini]

OK... I remember when I was a little boy, my Dad talking about the possibility of fitting cruise control to a mini. he was thinking of buying one and trying to fit a kit to it.

now I have a mini, was thinking of trying to undertake the project.

how easy would it be to do? what would I have to do to it to make cruise?

Any ideas appreciated...

Regards

Tom

[Guess-Works.com]

Dead easy.. it's called a peg, pull out choke cable, attach peg, job done

But seriously, there's basically two types of cruise control, one which runs off a vacuum fed servo, or another which it usually an electrical type servo..
A magnet is attached to either a rotational part of the drive train or wheels, normally a drive shaft, which is then sensed by a pickup.. This is then attached to the control box which keeps the speed at a constant with a mechanical connection from the above mentioned servo to the carb (or injection unit), fancier ones have a speed up and slow down function. but I believe ALL must have a sensor connected to the clutch and brake pedal so that the control automatically dissengages when either is pressed.... On auto's it's a lot easier as you can just tap into the brake light circuit..

Some I've seen ( an those which are used on Mazdas ) instead of having the pickup on the drive train have it on the speedo, but they work in exactly the same way.

After market kits are not so readily available in the UK, but more common in the US, and with the exchange rate at the mo, probably very cheap price wise...

The other option is to get down the scrappy, and find a merc, high end granada or jag or something like that, and steal the unit off of one of them... but you must know the vehicle to be able to do this, as you need all the wiring and sensors for the unit.

Going back to the peg trick, don't know if anyone ever been in a fiat 500, but they actually had a leaver which you could lock the accelerator pedal down with... now that's what I call cruise control.... lol

Edited by GuessWorks, 30 January 2007 - 05:01 PM.

[Bill USN-1]

Going back to the peg trick, don't know if anyone ever been in a fiat 500, but they actually had a leaver which you could lock the accelerator pedal down with... now that's what I call cruise control.... lol

I use mine in my Cinq 500 everytime I drive it!!
Works great!

I also run the Audiovox (CS-99 IIRC) in my International scout.
It has worked very well and was only $90 US.
They are on ebay all the time.
The magnets for the pick up can go on the axle shaft or inner CV.

I tried my inline sensor on the speedO cable but it was the wrong thread size.

[Guess-Works.com]

Just found this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/...1QQcmdZViewItem

At 50 USD it's an absolute bargain

maybe worth emailing him and seeing if they will ship to the uk... ( for a uk based kit you're looking at 4-500 )

[Bill USN-1]

The system will also work without the speed input by simply using a tach hook up to the neg side of the coil.

[Bungle]

i think MR Bean used a brick

[Guess-Works.com]

just found the installation manual...

http://site.brandspl...om/audiovox.pdf

[minivanman]

1. wedge a stick between the bottom dash rail and the pedal.
2. adjust until you reach desired speed.
3. relax

[fikus01]

4. PANIC UPON APPLICATION OF BRAKE PEDAL WHEN STICK GETS STUCK

CAPS LOCK STUCK ON IM NOT SHOUTING

Edited by fikus01, 31 January 2007 - 01:21 AM.

[Dan]

Holden Vintage And Classic

This is the only kit I know of that's readily available over here. It's 160 quid plus the VAT though. For the brake control you can tap the brake light circuit as Guessworks says, for the clutch control you can fit a second brake light switch assembly to the pedal box over the clutch pedal fairly simply by using an extra switch and bracket.

Edited by Dan, 31 January 2007 - 01:45 AM.

[Bill USN-1]

Holden Vintage And Classic

This is the only kit I know of that's readily available over here. It's 160 quid plus the VAT though. For the brake control you can tap the brake light circuit as Guessworks says, for the clutch control you can fit a second brake light switch assembly to the pedal box over the clutch pedal fairly simply by using an extra switch and bracket.

WOW..
That's $320 US compared to less then $100.
I think it would be worth paying the shipping.

That's almost as bad as the price beating we take on Mini parts from Mini Mania in the states!!

[Guess-Works.com]

35 USD shipping to the UK, would need to talk to the seller nicely to put a low value on the customs slip... even paying 100 usd for the unit, actual cost here 75 GBP max.

Think there's a opportunity here for someone...

[Bill USN-1]

1 Tip on the US Mail.
If you specifically ask for SAM-space available mail, it will be much cheaper shipping but will take longer to get.

The fastest most dependable is the Priority shipping. But it will cost more.

The seller will have to go to the post office and fill out the customs form.

Just let them know everything up front and maybe offer another 5 for the trouble.

[Guess-Works.com]

I'm all for trying this.... for a while I've been contemplating putting a cruise on, I've had cars with cruise control for a number of years and when doing motorway miles, it's an absolute god send.

Here's the proposal... I'll get one, and sort out the fittings and fixtures, if possible build some bespoke brackets to enable quick fitmet for the servo in the engine bay and to the carb (will try and do one for injection too) and sensors on the pot joint. Adjust the wiring so it can be plugged straight into the mini loom. Then if it all works and is marketable, get a job lot shipped over from the US, and offer a DIY kit for mini. Finger in the air sort of price I reckon would be about the £100 - £150 mark, obviously this will depend on how cheap I can get them bulk, and the USD exchange rate

[Dan]

would need to talk to the seller nicely to put a low value on the customs slip

Hmm, my experiences with the US Mail would lead me to always put the full dollar value on the chit. Nothing to do with smuggling or anything like that, you just really need the proper insurance value when that lot are involved. They can destroy or loose anything. If you want to avoid paying import duty, tick the box marked 'gift'.

There follows a rant, ignore it if you like....

When I was briefly working in the post room of a major and useless mobile telecommunications company (we'll call them X, as in 1,2,X,4) a couple of years back we got stuff from the US Mail regularly. I remember one particular parcel quite well, a book which was posted from San Francisco to Maidenhead (where our head office was) by 'SAM SURFACE'. It arrived pretty well crushed, ripped, soaking wet, bearing stamps from places like Venezeula and had been traveling for aproximately four months. It had made it to New York in about five days, then got put on a container ship that went down the coast of South America, across, up Africa and around Europe before getting to Britain. Another time I sent a parcel to New York by Air Sure or something which got accepted by the Royal Mail, got onto a Royal Mail plane, got off the other end, got sorted and sent to an office in New York and then got stamped as 'Unacceptable - Oversize' by the assitant Post Master in some little post office in upstate New York and flown all the way back to me, arriving four days after I sent it. It was something like 1 cm too large in one dimension because the US Mail had squashed it in their van, making it get longer in the process. The parcel was actually being sent to the Post Master in the next office the parcel would have arrived in. Never trust the US Mail. Having said that the Royal Mail are getting worse now too, but they are still the best.

Rant over.

I might be quite interested in that kit Guessworks if you can get it together.