I've searched online but can't seem to find the answer I'm looking for anywhere. How are steering wheel-mounted electrics wired in 1960s-70s era Fords? Not the conventional horn button or horn ring, but spoke-mounted horn buttons, rim blow horns, and cruise control switches. Late models would use a clock spring, but I never heard anyone refer to a clock spring in connection for cars that old.
The only contacts are for the horn, has a pair of rings in base of steering wheel. Cruise was direct wired using contacts in signal stalk. The two contacts with springs are for horn. Position vaired from year to year
In Mavericks, maybe, but most Fords used 3 switches in the steering wheel spokes for cruise. One for on/off, one for Set-Accelerate/Coast, and 1 for Resume. A lot of wheels also used horns that weren't compatible with pushing down through the wheel to actuate a switch in the column. Most notable would be the rim blow horn and the one with buttons at the extreme ends of the spokes. The rim blow used a rubberized strip with embedded copper strips which would press together by pressing the inside edge of the rim with your thumb.
OK I'm awake... .. No doubt, rim blow steering wheels would have used a relay for horn. The cruise added a ground contact to the steering wheel, increasing number to three. Cruse used power from horn for on and the additional ground contact for off. Speed control switch grounded a 680 ohm resistor for set/accel or a 120 ohm resistor for coast. The cruise module used a logic circuit to distinguish value of resistor selected.
Thanks. I suspected they used brushes. Good solution for the time. New cars all use a clock spring instead.
