Has anyone installed a Dakota Digital aftermarket cruise control?

[Mr Squirrel]

Really wanting to add cruise to my '66 Newport. It's my daily driver/commuter 75% of the time, so the car spends a good deal of time on the freeway. I have been searching through the forums here, and it seems like most of the time when people add cruise, they get the factory units from a donor vehicle. While I'm not entirely opposed to this, I am concerned. I grew up with used GM vehicles, and it seemed as they got older it was always a crap shoot if the cruise still worked or not. While Chrysler units may be better, I'm just not sure if I want to spend the time and money pulling/installing a set of 40+ year old electrical components that may or may not work.

I have been looking online at the Dakota Digital units, and they seem to have decent reviews, has anyone here installed one, and if so, does it seem to be a good product?

Was looking at something like this: Dakota Digital Cruise Control Kits for Cable-Driven Speedometers CRS-2000-2

 

[69 300 vert]

Reviews look good:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...MIktnqsrK26QIVBdvACh3XywqhEAQYBSABEgLRoPD_BwE

Looks sorta like a modern version of a "Speed-O-Stat". I installed tons of those back in the day. Had very few problems with them. This one appears to tie into your speedometer cable?

I cannot recall how I hooked them up to the throttle on a mopar, most I did went in Chevies and Fords.

FWIW, I found the mopar unit (I think was made by ARA) to be the most reliable CC unit of the big three. Fords was worst but had the best functionality.

If you're not fussy about originality this looks like a good way to go.

Decades ago I had added factory CC to Dad's '70 Pontiac, the servo had failed, rubber bellows lost their elasticity and leaked, then the body shop lost several components of it when they painted the car. This is the unit I tried to get Dad to install back in 2018. He still hasn't done it so no first hand experience with this unit.

 

[69 300 vert]

Ah, I see now...



You'll be using the magnets on the driveshaft, just like the Speed-O-Stat.

Emery paper and a spinning driveshaft will make short work of preparation. While it's spinning a pencil will handy to mark the centerline for you.


Speed-O-Stat included fiber reinforced tape to double secure the magnets, don't see it here but suggest it. Wind it in the direction of driveshaft spin.

 

[CBODY67]

The units which ARA sold in the later '70s looked to be copies of the Dana/Perfect Circle OEM units that Chrysler installed. So close that I was surprised, but it seemed that the wiring harnesses were not Chrysler OEM in nature, though. The glue-on magnets were an '80s innovation, as I recall? Key thing would be the mounting for the magnets' sensor, how to mount it close to the spinning magnets and not contact them or anything else, I suspect. I'm surprised they would not use a signal generator that would attach where the speedo cable's lower attachment to the transmission is. Considering that that's how the digital cluster for the '70-'78 Camaros gets their speed reading, best I recall from when I looked at that product.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[jct]

The control module looks like a Rostra unit

 

[Mr Squirrel]

Appreciate the input, nice to know that it looks to be a design that's been around for awhile. That said, I don't know that I'd be crazy about the whole magnet thing. After reading the replies here, I did some checking, and I found on an AMC forum (I guess some of those use 727's as well) that Dakota Digital makes this pass through that works for the 727/904.

Pass-through Pulse Generator

Now their posts that I was reading was relating a 70's 727, so I'm not sure if my '66 would be set up the same? I might have to crawl under the car for a look.