STOP THIEF!!! What you would do to make your IDI harder to steal...

[SDEconVan]

Been doing E4OD/1356 conversion, it requires some electrical mods. Now that I got the wiring
gutted out, I am seeing this as a good chance to do some other "mods."

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One thing I am considering is a regular alarm (couple "new" ones out, real simple, highly rated,
AND they tie into the existing Power Door Locks) along with a way to kill the Injection Pump.
That alarm would turn my Power Door Locks into REMOTE Locks, like in my newer vehicles.
(This is a 1985, which is a transitional time for that feature, my van has INTERNALLY activated
door locks, so you don't have to lean over to open the other side I reckon.) That one alarm also
kills the starter. Super small, and very well-priced, electronics have gotten cheaper in recent times!

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I know, I know, "Smith & Wesson MP-40, and my Pitbull gonna take care of business." I got that
part, but reality in our area, is the car has to kinda protect itself, crime levels are getting unbelievably
high for petty break-ins and auto theft. I want to make it as hard as possible for that drug-F'd MF'r to
get in, and ransack what's mine. I really DON'T want to muss up my interior with the contents of his skull.

Also, and this is what really is concerning me, EVERY time I am out working on my E250, people come over,
total strangers, and they have some story or just like the vehicle a lot- which is fine, but the amount of
attention it is getting NOW, is only going to increase- MORE reason that I want to deter a thief.

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"If they want it bad enough, they're gonna get it..."

Oh, also, a buddy of mine is in the Repo Business, and he is very good at it (basically makes a living finding
and breaking into cars.) He tells me, of all the things like "the Klub" etc, the one thing he hates (good for
me) is the foot brake lock. ESPECIALLY with an automatic transmission, since you need to hit the brake
to start. He mentioned two brands that are super hard to defeat (even with cordless cut-off wheel,) so
I have that already.

OK, without saying "Here's what I got..." and telling too much, maybe just offer suggestions of what "someone
you know" "MAY" have done

*************

I am eager to hear what can be done, and let's knock some ideas around. BTW, one guy in our area *****-trapped
his vehicle (shotgun shell with a nail, under the seat) and was looking at jail time because a thief was injured BREAKING
INTO HIS TRUCK. So I want to keep it kind of civil, "let's not kill 'em, just slow 'em down a bit..."

Some ideas (not to ALL be used, but SOME used consistently) either long term or short:

-disconnect batteries
-kill switch
-tranny lock (electronically)
-transfer case lock (padlocked in "neutral")
-foot brake lock
-alarm (siren/starter interrupt/ign cutoff)
-phone app/lo-jack
-comprehensive theft insurance
-

Best regards,
George

 

[rhkcommander]

Most Anything with wiring is crap. These trucks are mechanical ... So a mechanical deterrent is best. Block off or disconnect fuel or air and she wont start.

 

[eastsideauto]

If a thief wants it bad enough they are most likely gonna get it. This past spring my truck was in the parking lot at work and was broken in to. Doors were locked and it was parked in plain view of our "security". They cleaned me out got ~$1000 worth of my stuff that I worked hard to pay for. Radio, GPS, phone charger, Dewalt cordless power tools, 800 watt 12v to 110v power inverter, and more.

 

[Iowa 73]

Pretty sure your van is going to be safe: not going to attract much attention. Throw a club on the wheel

 

[OLDBULL8]

Hidden switch for power to the IP FSV. No fuel, can't start.

With the OPEN border now, there looking for a mode of transportation.

 

[laserjock]

^^ That's what I was thinking too. Most people probably won't know enough to look for/ defeat it. If they are targeting it because of what it is, they probably know enough that all you can do is not make it easy for them. Easy targets are usually the first to go.

 

[jwalterus]

a buddy has a mechanical remote activated solenoid valve on the fuel line of his loader (gotta have the fob within 20ft for it to open and allow fuel flow), I'll see if he has the information on it when I talk to him next

 

[gandalf]

A friend of my daughter's had her Honda stolen and stripped in San Francisco. She had a club in place when it happened. The thieves used a pair of bolt cutters to cut the steering wheel, remove the club, and off they went. If they're taking the car for stripping, the steering wheel doesn't matter.

I think a better idea is to disable the vehicle, make it so it won't start or run. Disabling the IP would seem to be the easiest, though the thief might kill your batteries in the attempt.

It's probably illegal to wire up a flash/bang in the cab, isn't it?

 

[icanfixall]

Klubs on steering wheels are simple. Cut the steering wheel like Ken mentioned. Might try making or finding a wheel lock like the police departments apply to parking ticket evaders. I think most thieves seeing a wheel lock on a car, truck or van will leave it alone. Make it look like its placed on the tire like a pd would do.

 

[FarmerFrank]

I agree with the fuel cut off they might kill the batteries. Maybe a large constant duty solenoid for them hidden down by the starter? I also like the idea of transfer case in neutral. i call that trick the "dummy lock".

 

[OLDBULL8]

How do you leave the TC in neutral?
Leave it in 4WD Lo, it'll only go 35 MPH at WOT, you can run after them at that speed.

 

[ToughOldFord]

Telsa....

 

[gandalf]

How do you leave the TC in neutral?
Leave it in 4WD Lo, it'll only go 35 MPH at WOT, you can run after them at that speed.

You must be a pretty spry old guy, Bill. I certainly can't run that fast, and if they have a ten second headstart I'll never last long enough anyway.

 

[SDEconVan]

Real good ideas. Agreed, mechanical barrier to deter theft OF vehicle, probably noisy alarm to deter amateur-level petty theft.

Looking at doing an interrupt of the IP. I was talking with an experienced "car repossesser" and he said that putting two separate
kill switches in the same line was almost impossible, that a thief would probably get spooked being there too long and leave.

He also said the Brake Pedal Lock (I'll get a pic of the one recommended for mine,) was a factor.


re. Transfer Case Lock. On a 4x4 I had years ago, I welded two tabs, one on the shift lever, the other to the floorboard. When
engaged in Neutral, the two tabs overlapped, and I put a pad lock through holes I drilled in the two tabs. The lock was beefed up
with a body that doesn't show the hasp. I did several for buddies and they seemed to work over the years... ...I'll eventually
do the same on this one, maybe post a how-to. *In Neutral, even if you start the IDI, can't put any power down.

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It's alarming the amount of theft we are getting here, in the beach area lately, a LOT of outside transient people showing up and pretty
brazen, stealing in broad day light. Local Police notified but patrol is two people for our entire community, those poor guys are
overwhelmed I could tell talking to them... ...and yes, there are a couple of groups of "citizens" patrolling (guys I went to high school
with,) but the thieves are like rats...

...lastly we are close to Mexico, vans are desireable (but no windows so I might be good,) for "single-use" human smuggling.

In the past, I've had two cars stolen (and recovered,) right in front of my house and three break-ins (one truck had alarm going with
neighbors "complaining" about the noise ha,) but this new rash of thieves seems worse.

Thinking up more deterrents...

 

[yARIC008]

I gotta say, when you're shopping for an alarm, don't just look for the one with the most features, get one that will also be around for a long time. The one I have has all the features you could ever want, but my remote broke and now the company is long gone and I cannot get a new remote. You can find similar remotes but there is no instructions about how you might program them for this particular alarm and what not. It's basically trash now. I can't change any of the programmable features without the remote working. I'm thinking next time I'll go with something like Viper that's been around for years.

Another thing I'm probably going to do soon is rig up the ignition so it has to be turned to the run position and then have a hidden momentary switch to operate the starter. That would be an easy way to foil most.