There have been many posts recently about cars being stolen. I think we all take it very seriously. I know I am concerned. My garage is about 5 miles from my house. My wife and I live in a town home. We have 2 parking spots and that is all. When I would bring the T home to use over the weekend, I was up every couple of hours looking outside to make sure everything was where I had left it. It was a pain in the a$$ way to be but I really want to keep my car. My parking spots are at a T intersection. It would take almost nothing for a " repo man " type of car carrier to take the car. Today, I found another way to secure the car. I bought this from my local boat store...I know that it can be cut with a big set of bolt cutters but that would take a little time and make some noise. Hopefully myself or one of my neighbors would hear it. I am actually going to chain my T to my wifes Jeep Grand Cherokee's frame. It 's not much but is another start. When I go out of town, I plan to chain it to a light pole or something else not movable. The unit I bought is 15 feet long with a locking end unit. $36.99 at West Marine Comment?
the only thing i see is a jeep dragging a t down the drive way and really messing up both, think of another idea, many products a gps alarm unit, gets activated when moved, wireless right to your computer, or phone sends a signal, if you are gonna be right on any alarm you can track it
Jeep Grand Cherokees are unibody, so they don't have a frame. Otherwise, sounds good to me. As they say, if they want it bad enough, they're gonna take it. But anything you can do to slow them down is a step in the right direction.
Make a bar that holds the brake pedal down against the steering wheel, and add a switch to turn off the brake lights. Now it's hydraulically locked in place.
For that matter, if you happen to have drilled discs, motorcycle shops sell locks that go through one of the holes in a disc and keep the wheel from turning. Every once in awhile you hear about somebody riding his bike away after forgetting the lock was on the front wheel. Dave http://www.roadsters.com/
Thought of a wheel clamp like this? Maybe you can make one or get one made that is more secure on your type of car. Ugly, but might make the bastards think twice. More designs here: http://www.elitesecuritysupplies.com/wheel_clamps.htm
I often considered a locking device for the emergency brake handle.Pull it on,lock it up and it would have to be dragged or lifted to be stolen.Front wheels turned all of the way and locked somehow might also make it difficult to steal.It would be easy to hook up a mercury switch that would trigger if the front or rear was hoisted above a certain angle......
Fuel shutoff under the seat... someone can always hotwire a car, but they get a block and no gas... Doesnt really solve the repo trucks though, i rely on my international reputation as being a crazy SOB for the most part Or the 28 essex i had had an ignition switch, and a lock in the trasmission top cover You could always chain a Big mean Grizzley Bear up to it Or remove both axles
When I was in the USAF, we would have to secure our equipment (AT Forklifts and K-loaders) to keep everyone from borrowing them. We basically had a chain attached to the floor that we would slip up and through the steering wheel and lock the chain back to itself. Worked especially well if the thing was turned all the way to one side first though. You could always put a "D" ring on the frame right near the back of one of your front wheels. Then chain/cable through the wheel (If possible) and then through the D-ring. If it isn't possible to run it through the wheel, then you could always weld a D-ring onto the spindle or something. Just basically anything to help immobilize the car.
I wonder if you could embed a steel loop in a depression in your concrete driveway and then lock the axle to that hoop with a fat chain or fat cable where it would be pretty hard for anyone to notice. Then when they try to tow it off, it'll be anchored to the ground and they'll wake up the whole neighborhood burning rubber going nowhere fast. Even if they noticed the tiedown, it might be hard for them to get under the car with giant bolt cutters or whatever they'd need to try to cut it. I think sometimes airplanes are tied down to the runway with something like that. It's sort of a cupped out depression with a fat steel bar running even with the surface of the pavement -- maybe 1/2" or 5/8" steel or something like that.
Using it as a steering lock is a much better idea. Whatever you chain the car to will get f-d up when you forget, as will the tie point on the car. Because at some point, you will forget, that's just how it goes. I use a disc brake lock on a bike and every 20th time, doh!
Rustybolts, we think alike. I may still do that. I was out tonight and when I got home, the wife's Jeep was parked across the street, someone had been parked in her spot. So I pulled the car in across the 2 spots. I ended up going forward and backward in the spots several times to get the car as close to the curbs as possible, parrallel to the street.....tonight it is safe. Kustombypook, I don't drive in the neighborhood where my garage is at night. When we are working, we make sure to leave no later than 8. Wish I had a better situation but that is it. I wove the cable system through the rear wheels and through the holes in the trailing arms . Once the end is on the cable, the wheels are basically locked to the trailing arms. It's not the best, but better than nothing right now.
remote line lock for the brakes. when you park push the brake and set. its power so the switch has to be hit. hide the switch and theres no way they go any place.
I like Rustybolts' idea. When I poured my shop floor, I dropped the end of a chain into the concrete to use it as a point to anchor a frame for repair. You can rent a concrete saw & cut a small hole in the driveway, suspend a chain into the hole with a length of rebar holding it in the hole, & fill it Quik-crete. That sumbitch aint going nowhere!!
and fire arms....hell anything you do or try is a plus.. gotta keep the satan clause at bay anyway possible!!
this may be the answer. just don't forget you chained it up the night before! http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/1600.htm
Vonn Rigg Fink came up with this on Cowboy Bob's post. http://www.gpsonsale.com/vehicletrackingdevices/index.htm I know its far from traditional but if it would get my car back, the theives locked up, and for peace of mind, this might not be too bad at all.
good insurance is good insurance,i hate to say it but my dad is crazy with locks and security and a few weeks ago (after checking his locks on his shop at 1 am) some one came and broke in to all his buildings stole all the tools and tore up 3 vehicals looking for stuff the only thing they couldnt get in to was the gun safe made by browning, money cant replace are rods but it helps finish another project. unless you have a BIG gun safe! you may need to rent a safe place to keep your car! dont mean to be a downer but have seen a lot of stuff get stolen around here lately. good luck cjc
I know you can't be a thief who is determined. And I am sure my neighbors had a laugh over my parking job last night. You can see the cable in the pic...this car would roll about 8 feet and then shit would start flying off it. You can also see the road across the street from my house...you have to admit the location would be perfect for a " Repo Guy " type towing rig. Until something else happens, I feel comfortable that I have taken away the quick grab capabilities. They will have to work for it if they were to get it. My nieghbors car had enough room between his door and my front wheels to get into his car. The frontal access was cutoff
For the people that likes Rustybolts and Safari-wagons idea, I would use the cups that they install in the concrete for frame machines. When not in use the chain goes back in the cup and a cover goes over it. You can drive over it without worrying about where that loop or chain is. I brought a used frame machine from a garage auction and I had a few guys that wanted to watch me remove the cups but I told them I wasn't even going to try that the cups are relatively cheap , I just wanted the tooling and the main part of it. The cups are relatively easy to install. Get a concrete holesaw or borrow one from whoever installs new sewer systems in your area hopefully someone that you know will let you borrow it free. Drill, insert cups, and refill with concrete. Also in the last issue of Drag Racer magazine I saw on the newstand, it had an article in it about some new boot that locks both trailer tires together.
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