INSTALLING A SPEED CONTROL IN YOUR EARLY FALCON FROM ALL FORD COMPONENTS
This not only works for early Falcons, but any cars or thrucks that were built in pre speed control days.
Disclaimer. The below tech article was written for the purposes of installing a cruise control made up of all Ford parts from 70s and 80s Ford products to be installed on the early model Falcons. I drew the wiring diagrams based on the color codes from the wiring harness' I had retrieved from junk yards. I got these parts off of various model Fords cars, trucks, Lincolns, and other Ford built vehicles. I also used Ford wiring diagrams from the late seventies. The color codes I used for wiring the system into the Falcon was from a wiring diagram for a 1964 Falcon. While most of these color codes stay the same over the years be aware that some could possibly change for different year models. Also there is the possibility that some of the color codes for the components you gather at your junk yards could be different from the ones I gathered. When dealing with different year model cars and trucks there is always a chance that a color code some place could change or has changed. In my tech articles I give color codes to make wiring easier, but I also try and give you an explanation of where the particular wire will be going. So as you affect the changes to your car be sure and double check not only your color codes but also where you are attaching the wires. As we all know peoples mechanical abilities vary from being a master mechanic to being a novice, so therefore you make these modifications at your own risk. I cannot be responsible for someone else's mechanical ability and lack or mechanical ability. Last but very important, I have not made this change to my own car at this time, so it is entirely possible that I have over looked something. However I do plan to do so in the near future. I did install these very same type speed control components on my 56 F-100 in 1999 and it has worked perfect to this day.
This cruise control is made up of all Ford components. All of these components can be found in local junk yards. I prefer the components from about 1975 through about 1979. However if you want to use the resume feature you find on the eighties cars you will have to get the steering wheel control switches and the speed control amplifier from a later model, probably an 80 model up. When looking for these I simply look into the car at the steering wheel speed control switches to see if the car has it or not. I will try and guide you through this as easily as possible. Using these components you can integrate this speed control into your Falcon's wiring system. With out a lot of trouble. I would start by gathering all the parts needed for the installation. You will need the steering wheel switches and all associated wiring, speed control amplifier, throttle actuator, cable speed sensor, two momentary two pole toggle or rocker switches (three if you want the resume feature), and you will either have to find a two piece speedometer cable in the junk yard or have one made, and of course you will need the speed control wiring harness. When you remove the speed control harness cut as few wires as possible. The only wires you should have to cut will be the red-black and the blue-black these two wires go into the steering column the rest of them should have quick disconnect plugs. With all the components gathered and at your disposal I would start with the steering wheel switches. You actually have a choice here. You can use the original switches as they came out of the steering wheel or you can use the toggle/rocker switches that I described above. Since you probably want the use your original steering wheel we are going to mount the control switches some place else. If you want them hid you can install them in the center console, or you may want to mount them under the dash, that is strictly up to the individual. Before you start installing this system on your car disconnect your battery cable to avoid any short circuits while splicing wires etc. As you can see from the wiring diagram there several resistors used in the system. If you look at the control switches you removed from the steering wheel you will notice that the off-on switch and the set accel-coast switches are all tied together with wires with a black rubber looking piece between the two switches. The black rubber thing is where the resistors are. If you are going to use the original switches do not cut or remove any wires between the two switches. However if you are using the toggle switches take the factory rocker switches apart and cut the wires as close to where they are soldered to the switch contacts as possible. Using the provided diagram you can wire your toggle switches with these wires. NOTE, the provided wiring diagram shows three switches with the third one being the resume switch, if you choose not to use the resume feature just eliminate the wiring for that switch. When your wiring is complete you will have the correct resistors already wired into you speed control system. Mount your switches where ever you want. Once you have your switches mounted find a suitable place under the dash to mount the speed control amp. After grounding the black wire from your switch assembly run the blue wire over by your speed control amp. do not connect it yet. The wire from the on side of your off-on switch should be ran to someplace near the Falcon head light switch. Note, if you are using the factory wiring harness this will be the long yellow wire with blue dots terminating in the white plug, clip the wire at the white plug. You will be splicing it to the green wire with the yellow stripe that comes off the head light sw. The gr-y wire is hot all the time and eventually goes to the courtesy lights and also through the fire wall to the stop light switch. Next install your cable speed sensor this is what you need your two piece speedometer cable for. The most desirable place to mount the speed sensor would be near where your speedo cable comes into the car or just inside the car where the speedo cable enters the car. There is a molded plug in the wiring harness for the speed sensor. With speed sensor installed we are now ready for the throttle actuator. This will need a little modification. In the seventies and eighties these set on the left rear of the intake manifold. There are a couple of reasons that we want to relocate our actuators. Number one there is probably not room to mount it there and number two we do not want it to be so intrusive. We will modify it so we can mount it in another location. I found an actuator from a Ford Taurus. It was mounted on the inner fender and had a long cable that snaked around to the throttle assemble. I cut the end off of it and threw the actuator away and kept the cable assemble. I modified the end of the late seventies actuator where the commode chain exits the actuator. You will have to use your imagination and your engineering ability to figure out how to attach the cable to the late seventies actuator. Also beware that these actuators came with various mounting brackets, you may want to shop around and find one that has a mounting bracket that is conducive to where you want to mount your actuator. You will also have to run a vacuum line from the intake manifold to a vacuum reservoir with a check valve and then a line from the reservoir to the actuator. Once you have your actuator modified and installed you will be ready to finish installing all of your wiring. If you did as I said and removed the speed control wiring harness without cutting a bunch of wires it will be very easy to wire. Just plug the green and the grey plugs into the amp. Plug in your cable speed sensor, plug in the two plugs to the actuator, splice the red wire to the green wire on the stop light switch, this will deactivate the speed control when you put your brakes on. Attach the black-green wire to the accessory side of the ignition switch. Attach the blue wire from the control switches to the blue-black wire in the harness that plugs into the amp. Attach the wire from the ON side of the off-on switch, (NOTE this wire will be yellow with blue dots if you retained the original wiring in the switch harness) to the green-yellow wire coming off your headlight switch, and you should be in business. |
