I've wanted a hand throttle ever since I saw one. Driving a manual transmission while crawling up a hill or over some rocks can be tricky since we don't have three legs. Simply put, a hand throttle allows you to set your throttle speed so you can use your two feet for the clutch and brake. Setting a higher idle speed can be useful for winching, using an onboard welder or using an onboard air compressor since all of those things drain power from your engine and require higher idling. Now what I'm talking about here is the analog system using cables. There is also an electronic system that plugs into the wiring harness of some Jeeps and that's probably a much slicker setup, albeit much more costly (Offroad Engineering). I've done a bit of research online to see what other Jeep owners have done and found I could either by a parts kit (Rubicon Express - $30 plus 3&h) or assemble the parts yourself through a bike shop. I opted for building my own custom system, not to save money but to be able to be more selective about how it looked and fit. Now that I'm done with the install I can tell you that overall it was a pain to drive around to a few bike stores to find the parts and I ended up fabricating a few myself. If you don't mind how the RE kit looks, I'd recommend buying it since it apparently comes with all the parts needed and will mostly save you time. The hardest part of the install was figuring out how to attach the hand throttle cable to the throttle linkage of the Jeep and how to secure the cable housing so it didn't move when I used the hand throttle. I'm thankful for all the writeups out there (there are several writeups listed right here at Jeeps Only) but found most of them didn't spend much time covering the throttle hookup. As usual I felt like maybe there was something I was supposed to know already and didn't. I ended up fabricating my own connect with works fine, though I'll probably some day change it to something more sexy.

Cost: about $15

Time: about 1 hour, not including travel time and thinking time (hopefully I've helped eliminate some of that for you)

So here's how I did it:

1. Buy parts. Most of the items I bought from a bike shop including the shifter, cable (6 feet), cable housing (6 feet) and a cable tightener (not sure if that's the correct term - it's a bolt-size part with a hole through it that you thread the cable through. There is a small allen screw in the bottom that tightens the cable). I also bought a "cable ferrule and stop" set and "clip and thimble" set (see pic) from Home Depot (nuts and bolts aisle near ropes and chains), neither of which ended up in being used because I changed my mind about the design in the end. I also fabricated my own two-cable connector using a flat piece of Simpson Strong Tie (Home Depot) which I cut and bent. I understand someone makes one of these connector thingys commercially but I wasn't able to find one.
2. The cable housing needs to be routed to the engine compartment and it seems the best way to do this is through the dust boot on the transmission shifter. At first I thought I could pull the boot back enough to squeeze in the cable housing but not only was that very difficult but I also realize it would leave a space on each side of the housing that would allow dust to get in. So I bit the bullet and decided to poke a hole into the rubber dust boot. To do this I unlbolted the top and bottom boots. This was easy and don't worry, they both go on snug again without much fuss. I then used a drill with an 11/64 bit and slowly and carefully drilled through the rubber of both boots. I choose that bit size so the hole would be smaller than the housing, thus making a tighter seal when inserted. Next, feed the housing through the holes and down over the transmission. Crawl under your Jeep and route the cable to the engine compartment, being careful to avoid letting the cable touch or rest on anything hot. Reattach both dust boots.
3. Now the most difficult part - attaching the cable to the throttle. Despite numerous how-to writeups on the web (search for hand throttle install reports - new window), I couldn't find any that went into detail about how you connect the hand throttle cable to the throttle arm. It seems silly to me now but this was the hardest part of this whole project. I must be a little dense because I think everyone assumes I should have known how to do it. That being said, I really appreciated all the writeups. What I ended up with below is my own design after someone suggest using ball chain. Why ball chain, you ask? It's simple. When ever you take your foot of the gas pedal in your Jeep, the throttle arm must return to the idle position. Since you're installing an additional cable, it must also automatically retract so your Jeep can idle. You want this to be quick and smooth. I used the ball chain since it created no reverse resistance while still being strong enough to pull the throttle arm. I connected the ball chain to a standard round electrical connector which I then crimped onto a spare section of throttle cable. I then looped the throttle cable around the tab on the throttle arm (you really need to look at the picture since I don't know the exact terms) and secured it using a fastener I got from a bicycle supply store. It's tight enough not to fall off by itself but loose enough that I can disconnect it when not offroad.

10/22/03 update: Not too long after posting this report, someone emailed me to tell me that it's not a good idea to mix metals when connecting the hand throttle cable to the throttle arm. It seems as though dissimilar metals can cause corrosion. I haven't been in a huge rush to change this myself but a few weeks ago I was at a Jeep salvage yard and found a used cruise control cable that fits perfectly over the tab on the throttle arm (see picture below). I intend to change to this style connector when I have a chance. Cost was only $5 and this is the connector that was designed to be used there in the first place. Prior to this I tried unsuccessfully to buy this part from the Jeep dealership parts counter but was told that I'd need to buy the whole cruise control assembly for around $200 to get that.

Parts list	Bracket Idea 1 (I ended up not using this one)	Fabricated cable brace. This works fine but I want to redo it.	A better way (from someone else's install)
The old style throttle connector	New throttle connector

Project finished 01/2003

Disclaimer: just remember, all modifications to fuel delivery can and will result in your vehicle performing differently. This is a modification for offroad use only and even then you need to be EXTRA careful. Use with caution and at your own risk. Please be safe and adjust your driving style accordingly. Also, these install notes are from my own experience and are not recommendations on things you should or should not do to your vehicle. Use common sense. This information is made available for research only and is provided without warranty.