Throttle Pull Knob?

[FLGordie]

I recently bought 1980 Fiat Automatic with Carburetor. Under the dash there is a throttle pull knob? Is this original to the car? I don't have the history and so I am still figuring out what I have. The car has the original carb 28/32 ADHA.

[Billholtzman]

Yes this is original, if you look for it when you pull it the petal moves so if you can get to hold it can be a cruise control you can rev it without stepping on the petal

[FLGordie]

I am tossing out the cut off broom handle that I used when I was 16 as cruise control!!

Thanks for sharing the knowledge.

[johndemar]

I'm sure you two aren't serious, but just in case.....

It's not a cruise control.

[seabeelt]

That is a leftover from earlier models. It was used for the manual choke. I think mid 70s onward there was either a water choke or an electric choke as emission controls increased ( I wont say improved) Earlier cars like our 71 have a true throttle knob and a choke knob. The throttle knob did indeed move the accelerator pedal but wasn't really stiff enough to act as a cruise control. It was supposed to help with idle speed until the car warmed. the choke knob - self explanatory. Im guessing since yours is an 80 that it is not connected to anything . Same setup when we had our 78. In/under the dash but not connected.

[DieselSpider]

Throttle locks that don't disengage when you hit the brakes, clutch, shift or gas pedal were considered highly unsafe so its not really a good idea to put them back in service. If you really want a throttle lock get a new system that automatically releases in an emergency.

I had them back in the day on the large Power Wagons for using the PTO Winch. A few drivers had some close calls because they drove off with it still engaged and in their panic almost did not figure it out in time. Some got really confused sorting out the throttle lock, choke, snow plow controls and 4 shift levers. The fifth lever was the parking brake and that presented another issue since too many would play with spinning the knob on the end of it not realizing that the were either tightening the parking brake so it would not release or loosening it so it would not hold.

[FLGordie]

I got under the dash and Michael was correct, the throttle cable was not hooked to anything. Thanks for the info.