Thermostat mercury switch, any motion of the car, alarm on, ignition killed
Making a car difficult to steal
- Thread starter DionR
- Start date
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Seems like the "personal boot", tracker and a cut off switch is the trifecta. If there was a way to run a stock steering wheel that was quick disconnect, that might send a message to "move on" as well.
At some point you might collect so many options that you would end up with a 7 min starting process. But it beats the feeling of getting your **** stolen. That's the worst.
At some point you might collect so many options that you would end up with a 7 min starting process. But it beats the feeling of getting your **** stolen. That's the worst.
Mount it in the trunk. They may start the car but the alarm mounted independent with a 10 to 15 second delay is funny as he'll once the alarm goes off while the are driving. GPS tracking helps also.
TX9Duster
Plymouth Makes It!
I knew a guy back in the 80's, who owned a sweet custom '57 Bel Air.
He called it "Windy Blue"... since it was a custom shade of blue.
He would literally chain his car, to the garage floor. Big heavy chains over the front A arms, and same over the axle, all locked down, with H.D. padlocks to plates he built into the floor. He would also remove the distributor, and steering wheel. He was really anal about that '57 getting ripped off.... which never happened.
He called it "Windy Blue"... since it was a custom shade of blue.
He would literally chain his car, to the garage floor. Big heavy chains over the front A arms, and same over the axle, all locked down, with H.D. padlocks to plates he built into the floor. He would also remove the distributor, and steering wheel. He was really anal about that '57 getting ripped off.... which never happened.
A set of wheel dollies or tow truck skates and the lock boot and disconnect don’t mean a thing. Gets dragged onto a rollback or into a trailer and away it goes.
A cut off or simple ignition ground switch is plenty for stopping a joy rider. Clubs and wheel boots and all that crap are meaningless to real thieves.
I feel like too many of these things are for people that have watched “gone in 60” too many times. Fun movie, but real thieves targeting classics are gonna show up looking more like tow truck drivers or the repo man.
Or steal the entire tow rig and trailer with the classic already loaded up near a show or event.
Yunick13
2 Time FABO NASCAR champ 2023 FABO NHRA champ
I wonder if the Hotchkiss Challenger ever got found
Can You Help Find A Hotchkis Dodge Challenger T/A Stolen At South Carolina Car Show? | Carscoops
Can You Help Find A Hotchkis Dodge Challenger T/A Stolen At South Carolina Car Show? | Carscoops
Yes this is an old thread, but the problem has just gotten worse, especially since the value of our cars has risen.
Having spent a lot of time (months!) on the road in my 70 Dart GT in the last year, and plan to do so again this year. I have thought about this a lot. On the road I always stay at old style Motels (and even hotels if I can get a first floor room) where the rooms open to the outside of the building, rather than into an internal hallway. That way you have the car parked right in front of your bedroom door. I bought a bright red Club steering wheel lock. I try and park with either a car or an immovable object next to one side of the car, nose in. Then I crank the wheel all the way toward the side away from the car/object and lock the Club in place. This does 2 things: The Club is really obvious to a thief and is a pain in the *** for them to deal with, and if they try to pull the car away with a tow truck or a roll back the car swings into what ever is next to you and gets stuck. Better to lose a fender than the whole car! You can't get a dolly under it if it is pulled up tight to what is in front of you. All this gives you enough time to wake up, call 911 and pick up the baseball bat that you bring inside each night. God help the thief that tries to steal my car.
Having spent a lot of time (months!) on the road in my 70 Dart GT in the last year, and plan to do so again this year. I have thought about this a lot. On the road I always stay at old style Motels (and even hotels if I can get a first floor room) where the rooms open to the outside of the building, rather than into an internal hallway. That way you have the car parked right in front of your bedroom door. I bought a bright red Club steering wheel lock. I try and park with either a car or an immovable object next to one side of the car, nose in. Then I crank the wheel all the way toward the side away from the car/object and lock the Club in place. This does 2 things: The Club is really obvious to a thief and is a pain in the *** for them to deal with, and if they try to pull the car away with a tow truck or a roll back the car swings into what ever is next to you and gets stuck. Better to lose a fender than the whole car! You can't get a dolly under it if it is pulled up tight to what is in front of you. All this gives you enough time to wake up, call 911 and pick up the baseball bat that you bring inside each night. God help the thief that tries to steal my car.
I haven't heard of it being recovered. Probably overseas in some billionaires garage.
Tell yourself whatever you like, but anyone that's spent any amount of time as a tow truck driver can pull your car straight out without any issues, regardless of the wheels being turned. I guess you've never seen a set of wheel skates? They're basically just a big plastic wedge, couple smacks with a mallet and when you pull the car backward with the winch the wheels ride up on the plastic and the car slides straight on the pavement, the wheel doesn't have to roll at all (also something to think about for the brake locks). No need to get in front of the wheel at all, you can be tight against the parking block and it won't matter one bit. It makes a bit more noise sliding on the pavement but it's already on the hook and headed up the ramp at that point. Available on Amazon, have your own set before the end of the week! Obviously there's better ones used by professional tow truck types but you'd be surprised how well the cheap ones work. Just search "tire skates" on youtube for all your "how to's".
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QFXQRLT/?tag=fabo03-20
With a battery powered tool you can defeat a steering wheel club in no time flat, and clubs have been easy to defeat for decades now so it's not exactly a trade secret. Stop a joyrider? Maybe. Stop a real car thief? Nope. But again, a set of wheel skates or dollies makes the club useless anyway, it just stays in place and goes for a ride with the rest of your car.
Having spent a good amount of time in my career watching tow truck drivers recover cars after accidents there's pretty much nothing you could do to your operable car, parked in a parking lot, that's going to keep a half decent tow truck operator from driving off with your car in a couple of minutes or less if they want to. All the stuff you can think to do is nothing compared to the cars that are missing wheels, suspension, on their side in a ditch sub grade, and they recover those too.
An ignition kill switch/battery disconnect and a GPS device, everything else is just a waste of money.
I worked at an insurance salvage pool, all totaled cars. As noted above there isn’t any car in any condition that can’t be towed. A hidden Fuel/ignition shutoff, an airtag to stop joyriders and good insurance. Think of the fun you’ll have building the next car.
68gtxman
I used to reMember
I built an ignition kill switch using a relay and the wiper sprayer switch. Run a live wire to the relay and the relay controls the ignition start circuit. Put a jumper switch under the dashboard to defeat it intentionally when you drop it off for service.
When starting the car, hold the wiper spray switch in while turning the key to crank. This will not defeat a guy who knows how to hot wire the ignition.
When starting the car, hold the wiper spray switch in while turning the key to crank. This will not defeat a guy who knows how to hot wire the ignition.
DionR
Well-Known Member
Part of the problem there is it only takes $150 of stuff to add a new key to the car. Pretty easy. The factory started locking a module so keys couldn’t be added, but that means you have to replace the module if you need to add keys.
The other issue is the electronic transmissions meant adding a manual lever to put the trans in neutral, which also made it easy to push a car away if needed.
So get the module locked and the neutral lever lock they sell now, and it will make it harder.
Add an alarm so a broken window sets it off, too. The factory setup only seems to watch the doors until the last MY’s.
Worst thing is, I’ve heard they sometime just follow the car, block it in and then club the guy when he gets out. That will take being aware of your surroundings and a pistol to block.
slantsixdan
=..=
How To Make a Car Difficult to Steal:
1. Drive a Mopar with pushbutton automatic. They might get it started, but odds are they won't get it into gear.
2. Be Biff Tannen. Only he knows how to start his '46 Dodge.
1. Drive a Mopar with pushbutton automatic. They might get it started, but odds are they won't get it into gear.
2. Be Biff Tannen. Only he knows how to start his '46 Dodge.
DionR
Well-Known Member
Yunick13
2 Time FABO NASCAR champ 2023 FABO NHRA champ
Can't steal from you what you don't have.
jos51700
Green Bearing thread connoisseur
Someone I know was recently accused of shooting a cat that had a GPS collar on it. I saw the tracing of the collar and it was just like the movies. I'll be buying one for my car.
That said, maybe I don't want to know. I don't need a murder charge on top of my problems.
That said, maybe I don't want to know. I don't need a murder charge on top of my problems.
If you do, please give us details of what you bought and how it works!!!
Bad guys stick those to modern mopars, then go get them later. I had a a couple thugs following me around in my Hellcat. Fortunately, I'm aware of my surroundings.
Kendog 170
Let the boy go !
I'm told most leave in a parking garage and such for a few days to make sure there is no hidden tracker before they take it to their chop shop.
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