My journey to securing my truck

[special-K]

My biggest concern is when there is no one home

Originally Posted by jgrote

That said, I also hold no opinion on another person's right to protect themselves and their stuff. You do what you feel you need to. The only way to truly believe in the freedom of choice, and to also protect the choices of those you disagree with.

Right on

[jgrote]

Originally Posted by special-K

My biggest concern is when there is no one home


Right on

My only request is that you afford me the same rights. Back on topic though. I think the next step is an ignition kill. It has an electric FP, with a switch under the dash to turn it on. I think a Ford hazard switch is a hilarious idea. I'll probably put it in the glove box. That's where Ford put it in early Mustangs.

[Gconroy]

Put in a progression ignition with Bluetooth and not worry about it. It will crank all day long and not start.

[HO455]

Many vehicles are stolen for what can be easily stripped and sold. That usually means aftermarket wheels, tires and stereos. Best reason to run 15 inch wheels and a stock radio.

My point is don't make your truck too attractive to the wrong crowd.

[72SB]

Many classic car thefts are done with tow trucks or flat beds where they never start the car to do it. Typically, when no one is home but my friend, who is quite old, didn't hear the guys breaking in his garage, cutting automatic door lock and pushing the car out and winched onto a flatbed

He had it FS and assumes 2 guys who looked at it came back to steal it. 58 Impala Vert. He got $130k from insurance

Anyway, point is thieves will get what they want so as many "obstacles" as you can do will deter or slow them down making getting caught more a possibility.

Ignition or fuel defeats, tire boots, etc IMHO are all of benefit to prevent theft

Barking dog in house or behind a fence won't do much. Use of Mr Smith or Wesson can be very effective but unfortunately the back end will be very problematic, unfortunately.

[best view]

Happy to say not in nh or Florida they want to make sure you’re a good shot

[Already Gone]

I had a starter kill put on my truck last year. Its kinda diferent to unkill it but unless u do the starter wont engage and seesm like the battery is dead.

[tim_mc]

My '67 gets the garage treatment, however I've done a few things just in case I park it unattended for a while.

Phase 1 - To minimize general curiosity: Hood lock - I use it a lot. I installed a Megatronix HL-7 hood lock to keep people from popping my hood. I've heard stories from guys with C10s and other classics walking out from Lowes or Home Depot only to find an inconsiderate admirer popped their hood to take a look at the engine. It also may have saved my battery once or twice.

Phase 2: Grounding the HEI tack lead makes for a cheap kill switch. I have one that I can access from outside the truck, and if bored I may add another. I've demonstrated it a few times and haven't popped a module. It's a great way to frustrate someone wanting to drive off with it. The only way to defeat my kill switch is to know where it is, or pop the hood and trace out the ground wire. See Phase 1.

Phase 3: If I'm planning on stepping away for longer stretches, there's a battery disconnect with 5A fuse bypass to keep the stereo settings that will blow as soon as the starter hits. Of course this means the would-be thief would have managed to pop my hood and figure out where the HEI kill switch is located.

If they hit it with a tow truck/flat bed, not much I can do about that.