What to do: Keep car from gettin stolen.

[Pakrat]

Great idea Pakster! I'm "stealing" that idea.

Heh heh, you know me, always looking for the cheap way out. Besides I think it's actually more affective. A thief who thinks they know the likely install places would probably check it over and waste more time looking for something that actually isn't there then he would dismantling a real one.

 

[Swede958]

Currently I have just a fuel pump cutoff switch installed on mine... but none of the friends whom I've showed it too could find it! Darn those camoflaged switched, darn them all to heck!

There is still enough gas in the line to run for about 1/4 mile, add to that normally my car is parked in my driveway (no garage ) where you have to back up, then turn and go forward to get out. I'm almost waiting for the day when someone steals my car and gets about a quarter mile. I'll roll up in on of the other cars
"Hey buddy, nice car... you having some trouble?"
"Nah, I can handle it, just not starting up"
"Ah ha, you know my dad used to have a car like this. Seems it was always dying on him too. Had something to do with the fuel system."
"Yeah?"
"Yup, why don't ya lean in there see if anything looks fishy"
"OK"
(Swede drops breaker bar from back of pants) ~Wham~ ~Wham~ no more kneecaps for mister perp

But seriously, if a thief does want your car bad enough, they will get it like everyone said. I've had to break into mine before for various reasons and it is scarily easy.
Some ideas I've though of or herd:
-Fuel Pump cuttoff switch
-Ignition cutoff switch
magnetic switch-place a magnet over a certain spot, pulls connection into place
exterior switch- switch mounted indescriminately outside the car
interior code- wire in a keypad ala The Transporter to allow the car to start. Or, the poor mans way, a row of toggle switches that have to be in a certain order for power to transfer (i.e. up-down-down-down-up-up-down-up)
-Pullin parts
take the coil wire with you (though perp could be carrying a couple with him)
take the rotor (if you are at a car show as mentioned... this could possibly ruin someone else's day as well)
Take the distributer cap (kind of a pain plugging the wires back in all the time)
I guess you could try to fake the thief out- take an old rotor and make it inoperable (take out the conductor, file it off, etc.) but look functional, then make a fake coil wire using either an old one and just not having any terminals inside the boots or using vaccuum tubing inside some terminal boots.

-High tech ways
Lojak or other car tracking system
Ignition Retard - thought I read about either a boost ignition retard box or something like that from MSD with 3 programmable ignition settings. Hide the box and set it so that your ignition can only fire as fast as about 2000rpm :dunno:

High dollar ways
Hire security agency to watch your car
Give crazy redneck neighbor next door a case of beer a week to stay up at night with his huntin' (it's not hunting down here in TX ) rifle looking out for your car. Fine him a case of beer each time a hole is accidentally put into your car from a 30-06 round. (WARNING: Aplicable only in certain parts of country)
Let the FBI know your car may be secretly working for Al Quaeda unbeknownst to you, and the only way for them to get it's information is to steal it. Have them watch it for 'thiefs' and enjoy the fun as they are hauled off to secret interrogation areas.


The Swede

 

[66P51GT]

I used cable actuated Chapman hood lock with ignition kill. I never trusted the ignition kill so I simply unhooked or removed my coil wire before locking the hood. The engine will turn over but will never start. Can't open the hood and can't get to the cable to cut it without lifting the car. I lost a couple of stereos out of the vert but never lost the car.

 

[Mosse]

Normally I have a main switch under dash, where my starter solenoid is too. It´s an 500 amps industrial type, and with special key...

Right now I´m in South-America, 10000 km from my car, but I´m not afraid of my car being stolen. Just before coming here I blew up my 8" and driveshaft... Of course this is a bit expensive to repeat often...

 

[xj220]

Yeah, I've most likely got a collapsed lifter and some other problems so if a thief does try to drive off with my car the engine will go before they get anywhere.

 

[Randy'65]

Front end of my car is on jackstands, don't think it will go far without front suspension!

 

[AEinPA]

It is true if someone wants it bad enough, they're getting it.

Still, I've decided to go with one of these:

http://www.canbroc.com/viper/xv.htm#

Anyone have any experience good/bad with the Viper system?

 

[65mistress]

If you're big enough you could do what an ex co-worker did. This guy was a HUGE Samoan who had just gotten out of the Marines where he was Force Recon. He moved into this neighborhood and first thing that he did was find the house where all the dirtbags hung out, went over grabbed the biggest guy there and dragged him over to his car. He proceeded to tell the guy that if anything happened to his car or his house, they would never find his body. He never had problems with people messing with his car or his house after.

Has anyone used the quick disconnect steering wheel kit? I was looking at those, any thoughts?

 

[70vert]

so, to sum up:

1. Be a big Samoan.

2. Have an elite military background.

3. Establish dominance quickly.

4. Have a concealed breaker bar

Sounds like the WWF!

here's my contribution: (the chain is out of the photo, I chain it to the frame usually)

 

[Loup-garou]

Barrel locks on the hood, alarm with ignition kill and clutch pedal lock (like the ones used on the brake pedal). If someone tries to steal it, they either have to tow it or power shift it! Mainly not leave it sitting too long in public where I can't see it as others have posted.

My first Mustang, a '65 2+2, was last seen being towed from the parking space where I'd locked it up. That was in '83, and the car never turned up. It had a hidden ignition kill switch and a pre-"Club" steering wheel lock (the kind that loops around the brake pedal). It was on a university campus, not 50 feet from a campus cop who was directing traffic. He never even asked to see the tow truck driver's ID.

I've seen hydraulic brake lock mechanisms that work sort of like a "Line-Lock", only without the electrical components. In place of a solenoid, a tubular alarm key is used to engage the lock. It mounts under the dash and is plumbed into the brake lines (probably for the front wheels). Lock it with the key, then depress the brake pedal - the wheels can't turn until you unlock it.

It seems a bit rough on the brake system seals and flexible lines, but it'd make it tougher to tow the car away. I know that Summit has had the brake lock in the past... anyone here have any experience with it?

 

[Jester67]

Just give it to me then it will never be in running condition and they will have to have a roll back and be able to get into my garage past all the crap to get it.

 

[65mistress]

70vert - Yeah that's about it.

 

[yeloxr7]

When I was in college in Norfolk, VA I would take my coil lead with me. Of course I could have fallen victim like 2nd Mustang gave an example of, but fortunately I didn't. A coil lead for a '65 mustang is not something that every would be car thief has. The object is to make it easier to steal the next guys car than yours, so just about any deterrent will slow them down (hopefully so they move on), but if they want it bad enough, they will get it.

I heard this trick years ago: Pull the coil wire and take it with you, but replace it with a fake one made from a piece of vacuum hose with a couple of boots.....

 

[Carnivore]

What about wiring the horn up so it honks whenever the engine turns over? .. and just have a little toggle to turn it off when you start it... plus other things like fuel cut offs and big samoans...

 

[65mistress]

How about that one theft deterent from Gone in 60 seconds, the huge snake on the passengers seat?

 

[RGS0907]

Depends on where you live. I live in the south. There is a city not far from me where every household is required to own a firearm by law.

You're talking about Kennesaw,GA who did it more as a stunt. I still wouldn't carry a gun in the glove compartment. I can see it now. "...Um, excuse me Mr. Carjacker, could you step away from the car for just one minute so that I can get my personal belongiings out of the glove box?"

 

[jbuening]

I moved the battery and solenoid to the trunk. Makes it harder to hot wire, plus the only way to get into the trunk without a key is to remove the lock cylinder and a screwdriver to open the trunk lid. They can't get in there from the interior cause of the metal barrier The vacuum hose idea for the coil wire is neat. I also heard of people using the cigarette lighter as a kill switch. Remove the lighter element and stick it in your pocket and the car won't start. Put the lighter back in and the car starts. There is also a shifter handle that requires a key to get out of park. Just a few to slow them down but nothing can stop a flatbed. Alarms are worthless IMO.

 

[Loup-garou]

(snip) I can see it now. "...Um, excuse me Mr. Carjacker, could you step away from the car for just one minute so that I can get my personal belongiings out of the glove box?"

Yeah, that would be inadvisable. There used to be a neat product offered by Jacobs Electronics (the ignition products company) called the "Stop Action", which was a computerized "ignition kill" gadget. Not only did you have to remember to toggle a momentary-on switch before turning the ignition key, you could also click a floor-mounted switch (a second "high beam" switch) when exiting the running car.

The car would run for about two minutes, then the ignition would go dead. The more the thief tried to start it, the more "dead time" the Stop-Action dialed in. The idea was to allow the carjacker to get well away from you before crippling the car (but not too far, making the car easy to recover).

Unfortunately, since Jacobs was bought by Mr. Gasket, I have not seen that product in their catalog. Maybe Mr. Gasket moved it to another division or something.

 

[68converted]

I was thinking about putting the kill switch in the lighter and one of those keys that Jeep uses, where you stick the key in to then start the car. It may be overkill on the ignition thing but, what the heck; 90% of car theives have never taken a class in logic. I did like the idea of putting a sticker for lojack on the car. If they take it anyway, let the big balled psycopath take it. Who's to stop em'. Insurance policy with replacement value is always a good idea. It is expensive, but 1/40th of the cars value each year is worth it.

 

[Edbert]

The theives to worry about are the pros, gang-bangers/kids/joyriders are easy to foil. The Pro will pull up with a flatbed, and drive off with your car in about 100 seconds. The brake-line lock wont stop it either, all that will do is leave a few black marks on the pavement where you car used to be while the winch hauled your ride onto the flatbed.

Of all the suggestions here, the Lojack/GPS thing is all the pros are worried about, but they'll have it under a sheilded roof in no time anyway.