Now that the 55 is alive again, I’m thinking of installing a kill switch. I used to have a switch under the dash that would ground out the coil. Now I’m running an GM HEI. So… is a kill switch really worth the trouble? Whoever is gonna steal it would, I assume, know how to hot wire it. I’m thinking it would slow them down. I don’t think I’d be wanting to hang around troubleshooting a car I’m trying to steal. But hey, that’s just me.
Both of my hotrods have a battery kill switch. Shuts everything off. The crooks are after the easy ones. Make it difficult for them. .bjb
It would be easy enough to add a bit of wire and have an ignition kill switch in line in the wire to the HEI. All under the dash. Toggle switch or push/pull Summit has a batch of 50 amp toggle switches. The paddle is rather big and obvious though Summit Racing SUM-830881 Summit Racing® Toggle Switches | Summit Racing This push pull is a bit over doing it amp wise but you could hide it in plain sight and it could be and actual panic button kill switch along with helping hinder theft or unauthorized starting. Amazon.com: Cambridge Push and Pull Switch, On and Off, 75 AMP, 12 Volt DC, 900 Watts : Automotive
Easy to install and cheap. It's a no brainier. I install one my backhoe and excavator also. Everyone has a John Deere and Bobcat key.
Battery 'shut offs' are another option. It's a little more work to hide them but it's not a huge deal if you're creative. But they also are great safety as well as security. I've had more than one acquaintance who were working on the car..... or just got back from a run, went in the house, looked out the window a few minutes later, and saw their car in flames. Maybe both are even better?
We have a remote power shutoff in our 50 Chevy convertible. It has electric doors and the fan runs for quite a while after engine shutoff so not really an anti theft device because it’s easy to cut into a convertible. Think it came from Ron Francis.
I know a guy that has a hidden key switch wired into the NSS circuit, a hidden battery disconnect and a wire cable attached under the hood, with a small loop that drops down between the radiator area to under the car and a crossmember, where it can be locked with a pad lock. He did all this after recovering his car from being stolen from his driveway.
I have my own formula but I'm not sharing. That would be like saying "you'll find the key under the front door mat".@Agele55 I'll give this much info. If your Battery is still in the engine compartment #1 thing would be move it to the trunk. HEI's and even points ignition are to easy to clip a jumper wire from battery. Make them work to get it going. But, nothing much one can do against a flat bed carrier.
I was thinking about using an electric door lock popper to make a remotely operated cut off switch. Googled it. Late to the party, they already exist.
Fairly cheap and easy to do to wire a battery cut off switch. I also run an electric fuel pump with a hidden toggle switch, even if they get it started they are not going far. Kind of like chicken soup when you have a cold or the flu. May not help but can’t hurt anything. I don’t know for sure but I’d bet most cars that are stolen are rolled into a trailer or on a roll back. A plastic coated cable with padlock run through the wheels or through a wheel and around the frame may be more effective.
I had a mate in high school whose OT car (VK SS Commodore for the Aussies) was a manual. He removed the gearstick boot and centre console and cut the gear stick off flush. Then he welded the female end of a 1/2" drive socket extension bar onto the stub. He welded the male end onto the gearstick. Then put the boot and console back together. When he parked the car he'd leave it in neutral, pull the stick out and take it with him. Can't steal it if you cant get it into gear. Worked a treat, although sometimes in a quick gearchange the stick would pop out. Not good in a race...
When I want to steal one of those with the locked handle, I just loosen that nut enough to be able to rotate the body of the switch.
All my hotrods have hidden battery switches just for security reasons. I don't turn the battery off unless I'm away from home, or if it's in winter storage at home. It's just one of several security features I've added to my cars to make them a less attractive candidate to thieves.
I've always wondered about using a line lock in the brake circuit. Not sure how much amperage they pull, but if it wouldn't pull your battery down you could lock the brakes and it would take a pretty good winch to drag it in a trailer or rollback. Not saying it wouldn't happen, but thieves don't like the attention squealing tires make dragging one.
I know it's OT, but please, please tell me this was just a white or silver SS with an M21, and not a Blue Meanie. Cheers, Harv
What are the odds that they drive them away vs roll them into a trailer and split? If it rolls they can grab it and rewire if needed...
Well said. I accompanied my 28 year old son, ex-Navy submariner, to a new car dealership to look at a (very) OT Japanese roadster with a 6-speed manual. The 20 something salesman sheepishly hands me the keys and says there is no one on staff that can drive it’s car. I told him he’s lucky I came along because the potential buyer can’t drive it either! The sun didn’t have a clutch either. So I had a great time test driving a car with a 8500 rpm redline and 2 seats. Of course, after I drove it home I had to teach the LT. how to drive the thing. Priceless.
What if instead of cutting power to your car, you make something like this. Easy to spot thrives if they are walking funny and have silent farts
Those are OK, but the original Caterpillar Master Switches are extremely HD, and have a removable key
Keep in mind that any kind of kill switch you add to the system adds a potential failure point, increasing the possibility of leaving you stranded somewhere.
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