Hi Tom;

> I can absolutely testify that it worked.

That was going to be my question... How long did it take?

 

Excuse me....but my vettes are my life....so I suppose I could kill anyone who tries to steal any of my vettes!!!!

and if you don't beleive it......try!

 

That's the way I set mine up and if you don't turn the switch to the on position it won't even crank no matter what someone does... unless they hot wire (jump) the Safety Neutral Switch!
Good Luck, Joe.

 

Your Kill Switch planning should probably take into account the carjacker.
As you walk up to your car in a shopping center or other public place, the guy just walks up to you and points a gun at you and asks for your keys. I've read newspaper articles about were the carjacker simply just shoots the victim after getting the keys, although I think most just take the car,leaving the victim behind. Anyhow......when approached by someone with a gun who wants your keys, I don't think this is really a good time to tell the guy that first of all you have to re-enable your kill switches, replace the high tension wire from the distributor to coil, etc. I think you want to give the guy your keys and have him get on his way.

The beauty of the electric fuel pump shut off switch is that the thief can start the car and drive away. He can only go as far as the fuel in the fuel bowls (I'm thinking carburetor here) lets him. This way, if he hasn't killed you at the onset, he'll be pretty far away before the car comes to a stop.

I liked 454tom's tear gas cannister. Didn't know you can buy them.

Remember also that here in the US, if you injure a thief only because he was stealing personal property you can be liable for his injuries. You can only injure a thief if you can show a threat to your person ie. self defense). Of course, in some parts of the US, a jury might not convict someone trying to defend property.

 

I had an Ungo box and a PageAlert pager... when the system tripped, an auxilliary output 12V+ was applied to the gas cannister. The cannister would not fire until it also received 12V -, which was supplied by a custom switch I made hooked up to the clutch.

Theory was, if I'm trying to start the car, and the alarm goes off.. I will be smart enough not to depress the clutch... but a thief would not have a clue.

Weak link in the chain.... Velcro. I had mounted the ungo box (and backup gelpak battery) to the underside of the jack comp lid.... it let loose while I was on RT 80 in NJ.... the box fell & shorted on the jack.... and defaulted to "trigger" by design. No big deal... I thought.. I'll just press the code & disable it. Computer locked me out due to short. When I downshifted to get off an exit ramp. I got gassed. Had to pull over within 10 seconds and I was thoroughly disabled. Had to wait 15 minutes before I could see my hand in front of my face.

Standard procedure was also to remove the cannister (wired for quick disconnect) before driving... I forgot. I paid.

Background.... I had a 71 LS5 stolen from 115 Belmont Dr in NJ between 10 and 12 noon.... in broad daylight.... 2 rows from the security shack. It was an inside job, and I never saw the car again. Had just sandblasted and rebuilt the entire front end.

Didn't care about criminals rights.

On the "Ground" issue... doesn't matter how many you have installed.... only one point of connection counts... at the coil. An experienced thief can defeat that easily. Give me any grounded, kill switch C3 and I'll have it started in a few minutes.

I like a combo kill switch and "run out of fuel" deterrent.

 

This has easily been the most informative thread I've seen on CF since I've been here. Keep it comin'.

I think kill switches are okay in that they are a fine deterrent. Let's face it... that's all any of this is. As has been mentioned.... if a thief really wants it... they'll tow it. Rendering your kill switch useless. That aside, a kill switch... or combo kill switch in combination with an alarm seems to be about the best route to go. The thief may sit there trying to defeat the kill switch... but they'll have to do it with an alarm blaring. Wondering what the best way to wire that system would be.

Or... is there a system that requires a secondary "key" of sorts that absolutely won't work without that key..... Like for example, the cigarette lighter trick I mentioned before. Some system set up where you have to have the lighter pushed in to start the car... and without that lighter (which you can take with you when you leave the car) it's unstartable.

 

If I were a thief and wanted your C2/C3 car, I would bring a few long wires with alligator clips. If it didn't start by bashing the keylock and using a screwdriver, I would just cut the start/run wires to the coil & starter and do a 60 second hotwire to both.... and drive your car away. Doesn't matter how complicated or tricky you make the junk in the drivers seat or at the transmission... all that matters is the final wiring in the engine compartment, which is extremely simple to "hot-wire".

All it takes is a good basic understanding of electrical circuits.... which is not rocket science.

 

OK, after reading all of this I still think that SOMETHING is better than NOTHING. I am planning on installing the negative side of the coil to ground, and putting the toggle switch in the interior someplace.

I also like the idea someone brought up with putting a pressure switch under the carpet somewhere. That way there is no "switch" to obviously see, but a hidden pressure point.

I think that is better than not having anything at all.

kdf

 

there are different responses for carjackers. might call those a "kill switch," as a matter of fact. . .

. . . car theft is one thing; carjacking involves a threat to the life of the driver, which then moves the situation from 'defense of property' to 'defense of life;' and a new level of force is authorized.

 

Regarding the tangent discussion involving the use of force to prevent someone from stealing your property (Car in this case)... In Texas, the state penal code says the following:

"A person is justified in using deadly force against another to protect his property to the degree he reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to prevent the other's imminent commission of arson, burglary, robbery, theft during the nighttime or criminal mischief during the nighttime, and he reasonably believes that the property cannot be protected by any other means."

"A person is justified in using deadly force against another to prevent the other who is fleeing after committing burglary, robbery, or theft during the nighttime, from escaping with the property and he reasonable believes that the property cannot be recovered by any other means; or, the use of force other than deadly force to protect or recover the property would expose him or another to a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury. (Nighttime is defined as the period 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise.)"

 

I agree, and in South Carolina with a valid CWP (permit to carry a concealed weapon) that’s when I would have to decide if I wanted to pull my handgun an kill the poor bastard.

 

well put; 'decide" is the key word--as much as we love our cars, you must decide, not whether you're justified, but whether it's required . . . and, if so, make that decisions effective. . .

 

If you have an MSD or other control box, you can always ground that circuit making the car impossible to start.

 

I've never used MSD products.... so educate me here... if you remove the MSD box, can the distributor (whichever one you're using) be wired directly to the battery to run the engine without the control box?

Can a MSD box be used to run a standard HEI distributor?

 

GLOCK 30 That's what I carry with my CWP!

 

All you guys who brag about using weapons are asleep at the wheel,as the car will be gone before you discover it.Your weapon is useless in cases of auto theft.

 

Texas law looks good to me, but there's a lot of places in the US where you can't be this defensive. Maybe thing are changing, In Florida, to day the legislatue passed a law that said that if you are personally attacked you did not have to retreat...you could take an aggessive stance; i.e.if atacked with deadly force you could kill he person even if they tried to run away. In England it's pretty terrible for innocent people as I understand it. If you see a thief taking your property you can't do anything.

 

How 'bout this. Full coverage insurance at $123 per year.

 

Useless.

Insurance companies rip you off.

I lost $2000 just in parts on my "full coverage" 71, and that didn't count the hours spent sandblasting, buffing. painting etc that will never show up on the balance sheet. Sweat Equity is lost no matter what. That didn't include my visit to the hospital when I mashed my hand with a BB front coil spring.

You NEVER get your money (total equity) back from a theft of a C3 unless you cheat somehow.

I just got paid for an accident that happened 5 years ago.... some dork in a SUV made a left turn in front of me and I totalled my car. He was 100% at fault. His insurance co would not pay.... flat refused. I had to sue. Took 5 years for justice That's BS.

 

Well Tom... not to be an ***.. but you've shot down just about everything everyone has posted. Anti-theft/theft deterrent devices are useless.... insurance is useless.....

Nothing is perfect. We all realize that.

If it's so hopeless, I kinda wonder why you own a Vette.