cheap anti theft?

Following this thread, wherein I chased off a guy trying to steal my truck this morning, I'm in need of some cheap/effective anti-theft, as my truck is quite vulnerable at the moment, and parking it off-street is nigh on impossible.

What kind of Club-type devices are any good?

I'm also thinking of installing one of these:

But I'm also reluctant to add points of failure to a late '80s GM electrical system. Thoughts?

Looking for cheap and dirty here, since we're talking about a $1500 truck.

Battery cutoff switch under the seat?

On my old RX-7, I had two toggle switches wired to the coil that killed the ignition system. One was under the dash and the other was hidden in the console. Both had to be activated for the car to start. A serious thief will look for one toggle under the dash, but won't look for the second one. Until now.....

If the interior fuse panel is accessible easily, pull the fuel pump fuse. He'll go nowhere fast, although if you have a particularly low level of thief, they can still steal a radio or airbags or things like that.

My theft deterrent has always been the vehicle itself...too ugly to steal. Of course, I live in a less populated area.

If I were serious about theftproofing...let's see...

I'd put a rotary switch where the cigarette lighter should be (unless I were a Blues Brother, that would not be cool) and it would be inline with the ignition (rather than the starter, but the starter would work too).

Then I'd leave the doors unlocked and the windows down anytime the weather was nice (I do this now...sometimes even when the weather isn't nice).

Clem

Another thought: Unlabeled switches for the starter, fuel pump, and ignition...all in non-stock locations would go a long ways. But it's not the most aesthetic solution.

Fuel pump fuse is a good idea, and easy enough. Nothing inside to steal. I've already pulled the negative cable off the battery as a temporary solution.

I do like the multiple switch idea, though. When I have the column apart, I'll do something like that.

I would have thought a beat up stripper pickup wouldn't be much of a temptation. I already leave my doors unlocked, so at least I'm not replacing a punched out door lock or a broken window on top of the steering column.

Best part is, he was foiled by the steering lock. If he spent a minute more with it, he probably would have got it. Good thing my Spidey Sense was tingling.

Oh, and these
don't work on GM side post batteries. Friggin fraggin...

Quick disconnect steering wheel hub and either take the wheel out of the car or at the very least keep it hidden from sight behind the seat.

My goal would be to not have them try to steal the truck. Visually deter them before they break the window. Solutions like a battery switch just mean that once they break the window and bugger up the steering column the truck will still be there. Yeah,you still have the truck but it is likely that you can not drive it either. At the very least you will be forced to spend unwanted dollars.

$120
http://www.ecrater.com/p/3162733/steering-column-collar-lockfor-your

http://simjack.com:8185/

Here you go. lag bolt though the floor and you wont have to chase him next time. The screams will wake you up.

http://www.amazon.com/15-Grizzly-Bear-Trap/dp/B00021UX68

That is perfect. It would probably keep people from asking to borrow the truck, too.

"Oh, don't mind that. Just slide it over and be careful where you set your stuff."

Humane society? Get one of these:

I always thought it would be great fun to run a wire from the coil to a bare wire in the drivers seat. Put a fuel pump cutout on and listen for the screams when he tries to crank it. Just be sure to turn it off when you get ready to start it.

The question is, how do a rig up a remote alarm, actuated by the door button that lights the dome light, which will alert me in the house? I'd really like to catch this guy trying to steal it now that the battery's disconnected and the fuel pump fuse is out.

How far from your house is the truck parked? You could use a baby monitor, or a wireless doorbell. You don't want the light to come on that will scare him away. I still think the bear trap on the seat with a sheet over it lag bolted to the floor is your best option for catching him. he will lose a chunk of his ass. you will hear screaming and wake up. He will never do it again.

Grtechguy wrote: Battery cutoff switch under the seat?

That's what I did on my '52 Dodge truck.

Plan B is a capacitor wired ti the door handle.

xd wrote: How far from your house is the truck parked? You could use a baby monitor, or a wireless doorbell.

I like. I can have it parked about 10-15yds from my bedroom as the crow flies. This is intriguing.

I once had a toggle switch hidden under the shift boot. Not visible at all, but easy to reach by poking the boot.

You might want to design your homebrew anti-theft to be something that will fail gracefully. For example, a switch on the clutch interlock will prevent the starter from engaging, but if the switch fails it won't stall the car. You'll get stuck wherever you are when the car won't start, but it's not going to cut out in the middle of fast traffic :)

My technique - besides owning a number of cars that are weird to start - is a motion sensor light on the driveway. It's really convenient when you come home at night, and motion-triggered lights are a lot more effective than lights that are on all the time. Plus I like a dark neighborhood so I can see the moon on the mountains...

racinginc215 wrote: More practical is the club it's cheap and worked on my Olds when we lived in Flint. Mi. plus you can beat a thief to death if you have to.

I read an article detailing how some OEMs were working with car thieves (presumably ex-thieves) in order to make their cars more theft-proof.

Apparently, the Club makes it EASIER to steal a car. Use it as a lever to break the steering lock, then snip the steering wheel to remove it. A little rewiring and you're mobile.

The cigarette lighter can work as a switch in a low-current circuit. The coil side of a relay, for instance, won't draw enough current to allow the lighter to pop.

Just sayin'.

Driveway motion senor set on the steering column, behind a note that says, "Gotcha!" Inevitably he'll move the note, and he won't see the sensor until it goes off.

Knurled wrote: Apparently, the Club makes it EASIER to steal a car. Use it as a lever to break the steering lock, then snip the steering wheel to remove it. A little rewiring and you're mobile.

Yeah, I looked at one of those under-pedal jobs today, and it's just a lever: use lock to bend brake pedal arm, remove lock, proceed. Ads maybe 10 seconds to the job.

PM me your e-mail addy. I have some ideas you may find interesting, and not much money. Security is my business.

Blaze orange stickers that say, "CAUTION: LIVE POISONOUS SNAKES"

12 Weirdest Anti car theft devic3s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf5YHbzv5cg

take the coil wire with you....I doubt that he brought one with him