Sorry for the topic post , but it is time for brass tax here.....

What is the best verdict! Last night May 18th my garage was broken into and my 71 LS5 4 speed was pawed. Nothing was broken and nothing was taken that I can see. I had my 76 VETTE just outside in the driveway and it was not touch. Police said it might be a setup to a hit…. The lock was messed with to look standard but is now very easy to unlatch with screwdriver/knife ect… maybe they were gong to take both at one time is the plan so I am told.

So the switch that thinks the car is in gear and will not start…. That is something I want to do....sorry, but please fill me in on the specifics on this and the best way to do it? Too much testosterone on this post to find the specifics on how to do it.

My Idea is to kill the starter with this switch, the club on the steering wheel and LoJack so if it does leave. $600 one time for the basic system and $995 for the system that contacts you by phone, e-mail, or alpha pager if it moves.


Desperate Please help,
Thanks,
Jim

 

I've read through all the posts. Without repeating all the detail, it seems that the bottom line is that a kill switch for the distributor, starter,etc. is not that effective. From what I can tell the idea of a time delay fuel pump is relatively effective.

The way it works:

Start the car with the ignition key. The fuel pump begins running. After a 30 second, the driver must push a hidden button or a hidden switch. If the driver does not, the electrical power to the fuel pump wil be disconnected. This will defeat the thief that hot wires the distributor/starter. Also, if the thief is a carjacker, after he gets the keys to the car and drives away, he will have distanced himself from the car owner before the car dies. Another varation would be to have the horn start blowing when the fuel pump powered off. This will help find the car. Also with a dead car, probably in traffic, with the horn blowing, the thief may feel like running away.

This is the basic idea. Actually the logic circuit that does this will have to a little more sophisticated than I discussed above. However, this is the basic idea.

I think Lo Jack also has a part here also. But for someone who doesn't drive their car that much, maybe LoJack is an expensive option, particularly if you have several cars.

 

if someone can find a setup/parts to make the 30 second delay work, i will be interested in it..... i'm doing the alarm soon but that option would be nice to have..... i'm thinking that a relay would be involved..... u think they sell the timer setups at radio shack...

b

 

I have a mechanical fuel pump on the 71... can turn that off. Have to go to other options

 

Can anyone post a simple negative ground interrupt circuit to an HEI coil for an 81' vette..would greatly appreciate it. Joe!

 

You lot obviously don't have a clue about car thieves- the "good" ones know alarms , take spare HT leads and rotors with them - they know all the tricks.


But there is a foolproof solution.

When you park up at your destination, take your engine out and hide it in the trunk - then lock the lid !

Perfect.

 

Put a motion detector in your garage. When someone breaks in the alarm will go off and the thieves will leave. Testosterone is what makes life interesting. But at my age it causes me less problems than it used to!
Bernie

 

To Catch A Thief.... information is all available on TV programs about car theft etc.

At home...
Determine when the car will be at location.
Observe the owners activity patterns.
If possible, test security... cause alarms to go off intentionally.
Do it several times and the owner will no doubt, turn them off for you just due to aggravation, thinking they are false alarms. It can even be fun, sitting in the bushes and watching the poor victim.

If you sense a garage/house alarm... at time of the act...
1) Cut the phone lines.... snip snip... they are usually accessable in a panel near the electrical service entrance.
2) cut the cable lines... usually same place, some people now use web phone, so cut them too.
3) cut the tiny seal on the electrical service power meter... and pull the electrical meter. All power goes through the meter... it has to for billing purposes. This shuts down the whole house except for any backup battery systems found on more expensive alarm systems. If the alarm goes off, then now is the time to leave. Otherwise, you're clear. No phone calls can be made by land-line systems (so cell based technology rules).

(Yes.... I know there are exceptions to these things... more sophisticated systems... that a typical C3 owner will not have the money to purchase/install or maintain a monthly service for)

Away from home...
Crime of opportunity... just pounce & run.


Now, on to the car...
I won't post how to hot wire the Vette...
only because Dep will hate me and I couldn't sleep at night if that happened (Hi Dep)
but suffice it to say it would take me about 15 seconds to hotwire
(mechanical fuel pump assumed)

The steering wheel lock.... a big screwdriver inserted & twisted takes care of that.. now turn the lock, if it starts, good. Otherwise.... on to the hotwiring.

The "club" thingy that attaches to the pedal (not the steering wheel) would slow me down.... maybe even stop me. Maybe. The steering wheel one is easy to strong arm.... saw it done on TV by a professional thief. The one at the pedal must be cut.... and it is a tough one... and hard to cut way down there by the floor.

Try thinking like a criminal.... it ain't rocket science.

 

Bernie: Actually this is one of TWO items I have setup at my house. Not a motion detector...an infrared heat detector. It is aimed to cover both the garage window and doors. Any change of heat and it triggers an alarm in my house. It is battery powered so cutting the electricity
does no good. Plus my garage is wired on a seperate underground circuit.

I also have one of those baby monmitors set up in the garage.The microphone is in a hidden location difficult to reach, and I have a police scanner in the house that is set to the frequency.
I can hear an ant fart inside my garage

Dep
P.S. I doubt they'd bother to steal my Vette. No driveline. Interior is ripped up right now. No fancy wheels. My pickup is probably worth more. And I have theft insurance on BOTH vehicles

 

"Plus my garage is wired on a seperate underground circuit."

... but still goes through the main meter.... it has to.

Pulling the meter will kill both the house & the garage.

Dep... you must have a criminal mind... LOL

How about using one of those PC UPS's for some of this stuff?

They're fairly priced & very reliable. I've been buying them at CompuPlus online, but BestBuy has them.

I have 3.

My Vette alarm also had the "gel-pak" battery backup in case the thief cut the battery cables to silence the alarm. The system had a controller so that the gel-pak did not try to charge the car battery if/when it went dead by itself.... it powered only the alarm, nothing else.

 

This is also a good idea if the vette is parked in the garage awaiting it next romp in the sun. I will also get one of these.

 

These guys are the PROS:

LINCOLN PARK PIRATES
Steve Goodman


The streetlamps are on in Chicago tonight,
And lovers a'gazin' at stars;
The stores are all closin', and Daley is dozin',
And the fat man is counting the cars...
And there's more cars than places to put 'em, he says,
But I've got room for them all;
So 'round 'em up boys, 'cause I want some more toys,
In the lot by the grocery store...

To me, way, hey, tow them away,
The Lincoln Park Pirates are we,
From Wilmette to Gary, there's nothin' so hairy
And we always collect our fee!
So it's way, hey, tow 'em away,
We plunder the streets of your town,
Be it Edsel or Chevy, there's no car too heavy,
And no one can make us shut down.

We break into cars when we gotta,
With hammer and pickaxe and saw;
And they said this garage had no license;
But little care I for the law!
Our drivers are friendly and courteous;
Their good manners you always will get;
'Cause they all are recent graduates
Of the charm school in Joliet.

To me, way, hey, tow them away,
The Lincoln Park Pirates are we,
From Wilmette to Gary, there's nothin' so hairy
And we always collect our fee!
So it's way, hey, tow 'em away,
We plunder the streets of your town,
Be it Edsel or Chevy, there's no car too heavy,
And no one can make us shut down.

And when all the cars are collected,
And all of their fenders are ruined,
Then I'll tow all the boats in Belmont Harbor
To the Lincoln Park Lagoon;
And when I've collected the ransom,
And sunk all the ones that won't yield;
I'll tow all the planes that are blocking the runways
At Midway, O'Hare, and Meigs Field!

To me, way, hey, tow them away,
The Lincoln Park Pirates are we,
From Wilmette to Gary, there's nothin' so hairy
And we always collect our fee!
So it's way, hey, tow 'em away,
Now citizens, gather around,
And I think it's enough, let's call his bluff,
Let's throw the bum out of town!

 

It seems that none of the electrical approaches are really foolproof...It's just too easy to get or route power around the "bypass" or cutoff.....I am suprised that their has not been more discussion about using simple hardware to prevent theft......(obviously nothing can stop a towtruck from taking your car, but most theives around here are not likely to have their own towing business ). I have been considering making a gas or brake pedal lock....A simple device made out of thick steel that locks under your gas pedal and prevents it from being depressed.....this device could also be made for a clutch or brake padels as well...the only way to remove it would be to cut off the entire pedal which would make it impossible to drive.......sort of like "the club" for your pedals.

 

Several years ago,while on a road trip,I would remove the return spring off the carb overnight ,not trusting alarm....figuring that would buy some time if I heard it start....all I do now is put the "club" on and the alarm long since quit...nothing is "theft proof".

 

Doing nothing is the worst thing. Being an ex cop I'm aware of what theives are capable of, but we still have to do everything we can to to prevent or at least slow them down. I have had several attempted breakins occur in the past and the few deterrants I use have spoiled their attempts.
Good luck to everyone in your attempt to hang on to what belongs to you. Use everything you can, don't do anything routinely with your car to make it easy, and be wary of strange people or vehicles. I even take late night walks to make sure all is well in our neighborhood.
Bernie

 

You're too late.... it's already been on the market for a long time.

Here is one of them ...

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/discave/auprobrandcl.html

Actually.... you hit on something there.... sawing off the pedal to defeat it. The pedal arm is a lot softer than the lock.

Driving on a stub is not impossible. I rented a U-Haul a few years ago and the gas pedal fell off while I was driving it. I drove it on the "stub" from the Pocono's in PA to Raleigh NC.... no problem.

Dang. I thought that was a good one. Back to the drawing board.

The accelerator cable broke on my EX NY State Police car one time.... I hooked a piece of machanics tie wire to the throttle and ran it through the firewall.... wrapped it around a deep socket & drove with it that way for a month (by hand) until the new cable came in. You have to think "outside the lines". That's what thieves do.

 

This thread is out of control!!!!!!! I like it!!!!!!!!!!
Bernie

 

Some years ago a friend found his 57 Vette jacked up,all four wheels gone after bowling one night......a few months later he drove it into a tree while gawking at a chick leaving a golf course...HA HA Ha....
Thread out of control? you bet !!

 

I think it is an awesome thread.... lots of valuable information here.... hope nobody steals our valuables! heh heh

The original question... no simple answer.

You can roll a manual to get it started, so a starter interrupt is not always the best choice.

I would say to stop the "not-so-sophisticated", just a heavy duty switch in series with the coil, run the wires back to the cockpit, and find a spot that you can access, but cannot see very easily. A fuse would be a good idea too... in case your own wiring gets snagged & shorts.

The "real thieves" will find it. But the punks.... probably not.

I agree that something is better than nothing, but don't bet your life on it when it comes to the pro's. They may not be wise..... but they ain't dumb.

 

That's pretty funny you mentioned that...

We had a news story here in Raleigh a few nights ago about a guy who was stealing cars right off the highway. He had an old beater pickup truck and what looked like a home-made trailer/dolly set up. He was prowling a 6 or 8 mile section of highway.... and when he found a disabled car, was jacking them up and dropping them down on his trailer. Then he took them to his shop and was stripping them. They did catch him though.... they set up a sting car and then followed him home.