Technical What have you done to keep your vehicle from being stolen?

I had an old sheet I dyed black that hung in front of my opened door, just the one half I worked the machine shop out of.

 

I have lost 3 cars to the scumbag thieves so I'm real nervous about losing another one. Started the old splicing to the coil wires with a kill switch, but now thieves are savvy to that trick and with jumper wire and may get it running.
On my 32 I spliced into auto trans floor shifter safety neutral switch, wires run under carpet to a switch behind my bench seat far right side hidden out of sight # 2 electric fuel pump kill switch, if they get it stared it won't go very far and hopefully they just leave it #3 I have a small 925 odyssey battery hidden in the trunk with a battery cut off switch and the trunk release handle hidden in the cab behind seat, Hopefully this will keep a thief without a repo truck from getting my pride and joy.
Talking about he repo truck a couple things I'm working on is to slow them up or making them give up, turn the steering wheel full lock and some how put a padlock on steering linkage, the other is somehow locking the auto shifter in park and always backing into a parking spot, maybe being able to put in park and taking the shifter out.
I guess you can tell I'm paranoid, I even put my kill switch on getting gas.
last when out of town get a bunch of other hot-rodders and pool our money together and pay for a security guard.
Most don't think their beloved hot rod will not get stolen until it happens then its to late.
One more install a fake clutch pedal

 

Ditto on what Montana1 posted

 

Thanks for just telling everyone what you do to prevent your car(s) from being stolen. Hows it working for you?

That's like my Grandma complaining every year about getting the flue, and then go get another flue shot...

 

moved

 

What about installing a line lock that holds the brakes on 4 wheels? That might slow down a repo truck.
Todd

 

Stay at Motels with gated parking lots that require a room key card to operate, more and more common. Also registers what cards were used and at what time if your worried about the freaks down the hall.

 

Put a floor mounted dimmer switch in my old Model A as a kill switch for the battery, it worked great.

 

On my old Fairlane, if I stayed at a motel/hotel I would put a vacuum hose on the dizzy to the coil, that worked well to, cheap and easy.

 

On my '47 Ford I'm going to put a "STARTER" button in the dash marked "Starter" but actually hook it to the horn so if someone tries to start it "HOOONNNKKKK!"

 

I drove worse car's than the car thieves drive so I could leave the keys in mine with it running .
With the newer generation just drive a car with a 3 speed on the column and that will stop about 9/10 of them .

 

I have a couple friends that watch my car for me.

(Sorry, I couldn't pass up this picture from " Vintage Shots From Days Gone By")

 

That is clever. Maybe hook it up to really loud train horns. you can hear those for blocks!
Todd

 

I ain't sayin'

 

Nothing, i want the insurance money.....................

 

Battery kill switch and an ignition power kill switch.


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Move to a better area? No disrespect, but, you're delusional. There are no "better" areas. My wife ran a neighborhood watch for about 10 years. We went door to door with handouts for the next meeting and began to get shadowed. That's when we decided to get our concealed carry permit. The point is, there are bad people everywhere. If someone wants your car bad enough, there going to get it. This isn't being negative, just realistic.

 

As I said, really nothing you can do, all of us are not home at some point, in my case, if they get into my shop, (tough to do), they got what they need for tools to get it, outside a tow truck looks after it. We've all seen a luxury car on the hook with its alarm screaming away and had a little laugh, the same with motorcycles, a power tailgate and two strong guys in minutes steal bikes.
All you can really do is be vigilant and not park where you can't see it, stay in motels that have relatively secure parking, lay awake all night worrying, tie fishing line to the bumper and into your room tied to a glass jar, sleep in the car, you get it. The fact is, people who steal cars are sophisticated, (big word), and there's little you can do to stop them short of deadly force. We're surrounded by scum these days, from computer scum to car thieves, be careful.

 

That's exactly what I have for it, wake the neighborhood!!!

 

I suppose...but still, my neighborhood sounds nothing like the descriptions of many of the posters here.

I don't do anything aside from a slight amount of normal vigilance to keep my cars from being stolen, mixed in with a bit of luck, I suppose.

Oh...and I don't spend the night in Albuquerque when I travel.

 

Let's take this post and merge it with the let's see your car and or garage pics and make it real easy on them

 

I've got the ancient Sumerian demon, or maybe he's Babylonian, I can't tell one demon from the next they all look the same to me. Anyway sos I gots this demon that possesses my car. Won't let anyone else even sit in it. Tried to kill my old lady one time at the drive in. No big whoop. Only cost me my soul but hell I wasn't using it anyway. I do miss my spot at the pull-a -part though.

 

[From my husband]
That is clever!!! But you need to Tee off the key to solenoid wire to the horn relay [via a switch] so if the Thief tries to "short the solenoid" with a screwdriver it will back feed up the wire to the horn relay.

Now if you want to step this up a little................ convert the horn relay to a "latching relay" by looping a wire from the relay output back around to the horn button side of the relay [via a hidden switch]
That way the horn keeps blasting until the latch circuit is broken.

This can all be done with a simple push on/ push off switch hidden behind upholstery.

The latching wire can go to the Tee'd off side of the switch [the + side], but you will need to add a diode to this wire so the horn doesn't back feed and activate the starter.

 

That would be awesome, sure would draw attention to the thief. Thanks for explaining how to wire it up!
Todd

 

I do seem to remember, I think it was Jim Jacobs, who welded small tab on shifter and bracket on floor. When he put car in reverse they lined up and he put a padlock through them. If you back up against the building/another car, even if they get it started, they can't get it out of reverse. But, they could drop the drive shaft, push the car to a car hauler/tow truck and off they go. It all goes back to "if they want the car bad enough". I'm telling you, there are some truly bad people out there. Paranoia is just a higher degree of awareness.

 

One caveat : If the horn button is the grounding type , you need to get a little more creative [but not impossible]

 

I'm not a big fan of airbags, but when your vehicles are on the ground, i don't know if a wrecker could grab it very easily.
Todd

 

Thanks for the extra info, it will be helpful to me and many others I'm sure.

 

I call BS on your statement, There are many better areas to live in our beautiful country, if you feel you are trapped in inner city or city situation you have my condolences as crime/drugs is out of control. It's your choice, Sometimes hard choices have to be made as no one is forced to live anywhere, if your neighborhood has turned to shit, IMO Move, that's what most people do. I grew up in Milwaukee Wi. born ln 48, growing up it was a beautiful city, but by 21 I purchased a house in a suburb as already the decline was starting, now Milwaukee is a Shithole trying it's best to catch up to Chicago with shootings/crime. Sad very Sad. I lived in the country around Milwaukee area for years/entire adult life, now in Northwoods Wisconsin, all choices. On subject of Hot rod/ Kustom car theft, Pro's will get it if they choose your car, insure it properly is your only solution IMO AND I'm not delusional, no disrespect intended or implied, these are my Opinions just as you have yours. Have a Nice Day !