jerry63

Hello everyone, While I understand you can't stop all theft, I'm looking to find out what everyone is using to help stop theft in their own garages or off site areas. Please feel free chime in, and if you have any suggestions on items, please add in where you purchase them, thanks Jerry. .

joe_padavano

Two words. Manual transmission.

Fun71

In the garage: door locked and Jeep parked in front of garage.
Out in the wild: ignition kill switch; don't park in stupid places

Overall: my car is not very valuable, isn't perfectly restored, and is well insured

Fun71

Yeah, that will do it. Setting the park brake has also been known to stop a vehicle from being driven off..

jerry63

Looking for something with a little more deterrent, don't really think have a manual trans. is going to stop a thief.

joe_padavano

Wanna bet? How many people today can drive a stick? (note that my post was only a little tongue in cheek)

https://jalopnik.com/manual-transmis...h-t-1828135882

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...n-9563062.html

http://www.thedrive.com/news/19766/k...l-transmission

https://www.daytondailynews.com/news...oty11utV4xVhN/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...=.d71b57b88f1c

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/artic...r/77-495172347

https://denver.cbslocal.com/2018/11/...g-stick-shift/

Koda

On the power tour last year, I:

Disconnected the battery.
Locked the hood.
Used a CLUB
Used a column and wheel lock.
Parked in nice hotels with much nicer old cars around it, so they'd be stolen first.

joe_padavano

Use a piece of rubber vacuum hose with spark plug ends to make a fake coil wire. Of course, this only works with a separate coil and black plug wires. If the thief has trouble getting the car to start, he'll quickly move on.

The anti-theft device I really like is the slow-blow fuse in the power wire to the coil. A hidden toggle switch bypasses the fuse for normal use. Since it's a slow-blow fuse, the car will start and then die. The thief won't be able to re-start it and will assume it just runs crappy.

Along the lines of the manual trans, most people today don't know how to start a car with a carb. They don't know to pump the throttle to set the choke. Again, the car either won't start or will start and stall if it's cold.

If you have points, just add a kill switch that grounds the distributor side of the coil. This will look like a tach wire. The car will crank but no spark. Even if the thief runs a jumper wire directly to the coil "+" terminal, the grounded "-" terminal will prevent it from starting. I don't know if electronic conversion systems can live with this, however.

oldcutlass

I just heavily insure it and let the cards drop where they may.

Destructor

My car just plain sucks.

Tedd Thompson

I pack and people from around my area know it, I have a dog that worries even me and also my agreed value insurance is probably worth more than the car is worth. When on the road I usually get to park next to the lobby where it can be seen day and night by the attendants (I ask to park up front sometimes when I book a room,I usually get to...

A determined thief will eventually get your car, that's what they do for a living but if the deterrent is high enough it will help. No one wants to die over cast iron and sheet metal..... Lost in the fifties Tedd

Run to Rund

Dirty Harry said "Smith and Wesson and me."

The face plated Jerico with vertical gate shifter is a good deterrent for my car. Even the C Stock champ from 1966 couldn't figure it out, and roasted the clutch to the disc backing plates trying in 2007. In 2010 I got him to autograph what was left of the disc.

Koda

I didn't see them go, but someone was selling at my gun club's auction a pair of naked chick art side grips for a 1911. I was tempted.

chip-powell

Two other words...Twelve Gauge.

joe_padavano

And you never leave the car, right?

I don't know how that helps if you are asleep in your hotel room, or eating dinner, or taking a crap.

Tedd Thompson

That's why I have a dog!

66-3X2 442

If you use an ignition kill switch,install it on the ground side of the battery. If you install on the positive side,they can jump that. Most thieves can't or won't take time to diagnose the kill on the ground and move on.

BangScreech4-4-2

That'll work!

droldsmorland

I have various ignition systems "customized". Also have the battery post mounted disconnect. I actually remove the green wheel and stick it in my pocket. Sure it can be removed and the cable put directly onto the battery but that takes effort n time. I never let it out of my line of site either...

So there is a three-step program when its outside of my garage.... well OK 4 if you include a vast collection of high-speed lead spiting devices...

At home, there's all that and a 100 pound Doberman that I keep slightly hungry, Good puppy, go get em Mik...He loves Scooby snacks...lol. All they gotta hear is his bark. On to the next house.

I know what your thinkin did he fire 6 shots or only 5...well to tell ya the truth, with all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 magnum... the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off... you got to ask yourself one question.......do you really want this car well do ya...punk...........Greatest movie line ever.

Koda

44 magnum is about as high as I go on pistols. I do have a S&W 29-2, though it's the target barrel, so it's longer than Harry's.

Incidentally, he didn't shoot 44 mag out of that thing, he shot 44 Special, per a scene in Magnum Force. But, he one handed that cannon, so I'll forgive.

Joyriders and amateur thieves can be deterred by obstacles. Anyone can be deterred with a gun, but, if you go that route, do not hesitate.

Out of sight out of mind is best. Tow trucks are hard to counter.

joe_padavano

Especially ones that can do a four wheel lift.

Vintage Chief

My all time favorite line from this movie (and probably any movie) is this:

"When a naked man is chasing a woman through an alley with a butcher knife and a hard-on, I figure he isn't out collecting for the Red Cross."

Tuffnut

I keep my car in a locked garage, use a kill switch on the positive side to deter the punks. It's not going going to stop a professional. If they can steel ATM's by driving trucks through walls, ripping them out with chains in a matter of minutes , I 'm not going to deter them. They could hook onto my car pretty quick and be gone. Not that it is worth what some members have here, but it's my labor of love.

Jeff

oldcutlass

This question came up on another site... Get a trunk monkey.

Fun71

If you can't find one of those, try an alarm system with a stick of dynamite strapped to the gas tank. Guaranteed no one will get away with your car.

Charlie Jones

What car ???

Ancient Iron

All you need is a repo truck, They will get that car from a parking lot in seconds and figure out your theft deterrents later

classicmuscle442

Roll off truck is our biggest problem, try to park where it makes difficult to get to.

Koda

I only park my cars at car shows, or I'm gone BRIEFLY, or I'm in a garage. The one exception was the power tour, and there were guns everywhere on that one. The best solution for any kind of theft is to not leave it out.

Jon442

On the Harley forum, one of the members posted that the best theft deterrent was an empty .45 holster laying on the seat.

Charlie Jones

A friend of mine had a ' 58 Corvette as a daily driver back in the 70's .
He had a very simple , yet effective , theft deterrent system .
First , he took the fuel pump apart and removed the valves . Fuel could flow through it , but it wouldn't pump anything .
Then , he mounted an electric fuel pump up underneath , near the fuel tank .
Next he mounted a dimmer switch on the firewall up above the gas pedal , high enough where it couldn't be easily seen .
He wired the switch to the big terminal on the starter and to the electric pump . Press it once and the pump was on , press it again , and it was off .

He found the ' Vette several times , " hotwired " and abandoned , the several blocks away that the fuel in the carb would take it .
Today's thieves probably wouldn't even know how to " hotwire " a car . And I sure as sh*t ain't gonna tell 'em !

Jamesbo

Works for me

Olds64

I'm surprised nobody mentioned this, but you need to replace the caps on your door locks in your classic Olds!

Car thieves can use a coat hanger as a hook to unlock the doors from the outside. They put it through the gap between the window and weatherstripping and unlock the car. Unless your driving a Jay Leno restoration $10 in new caps for your door locks is well worth the investment. Here are some I found with a quick search on Amazon. I have faux wood and chrome ones in my 98 that are straight (they can't have a shoulder on them).

70chevrolet

yep! mine too.
go ahead and steal it.. it will give me an excuse to get an upgrade.

Tedd Thompson

Not if you drive a convertible. It's easy peasey to get in with a dull pocket knife.... Tedd

Vintage Chief

I leave my convertible top down. I'd hate to see them ruin the top.

joe_padavano

Apparently you've never seen a Slim Jim. I can unlock my Oldsmobiles more quickly with one of these than with the key.

Fun71

I'm in agreement with these fellas.

Olds64

I wanted to give some good advice. While my Olds has never been stolen, Oldsguy's 76 Cutlass was stolen years ago. We were at a junkyard for about 30 minutes. When we returned to the parking lot the Cutlass was gone and the coat hanger used was left on the ground. Dad never got that car back.

chip-powell

I like the idea of a trunk monkey. But here's one that's even better. It might damage the paint a little though.