Theft Deterents

Date: Tue, 4 Mar 97 13:05:04 -0000
From: johnb 
Subject: Thieves!
To: "Toyota Mailing List" 

>When I get around to it, a friend and I are thinking of just bending some
>1 1/2 DOM into a roll cage and welding it down in the usual four corners.
>But I was thinking of a knee bar that would pass in under the steering
>cloumn and in front of the console.  But does anybody else have anything
>more creative?  Less permanent? Thanks for your inputs.


I got an idea! This would be a very VISIBLE theft deterent. get an in-cab 
roll-cage for your truck, and then, get some steel tubing and devise a 
way to kinda make a double bar that crosses in front of your windows and 
locks to the roll-cage with a standard pad-lock. Down at the other end, 
weld/bolt on a kind of swivel hinge so when you get in your vehicle, you 
reach over, unlock the crossbar, and fold it up and out of the way, in 
back of you, parallel to the roll-cage. That way, even if they break the 
window, they wont be able to reach anything inside the cab! I hope this 
is a good idea, I don't feel like looking like an idiot.


JB

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Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 10:34:13 -0700
From: nickkrest@batnet.com (Nick Krest)
Subject: Thieves!
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

Jimmy Tom  wrote:

        "I'm trying to keep the truck mainly from
        getting stolen. It seems that 4x4's are
        hot commodities in Los Angeles and the
        aforementioned theft deterrents seem to
        be easily overcome. The kneebar may be a
        way for me to lock the shifter into a
        gear or something, and I'm thinking a
        bike type U-lock could be a way to do so."

Here are some thoughts:

1) Get a removable steering wheel, like race cars use. Hard to drive it
away when you can't steer it.
2) I guy I know uses something called a Spider Lock on his Turbo Carrera in
LA. It's basically like a boot that the meter maid would hit your car with,
except you control its installation and removal. Very difficult to tow a
car with one of these.
3) Get a Tuffy box for your truck. Take the starter wire away from the
ignition key and route instead to a starter button inside the Tuffy box. So
you have to turn the key, then hit the (unknown to the thief) button to
start it.
4) It seems the Lexus importer in Singapore is installing a unique security
system in the cars he sells. If a certain security measure is breached, it
locks the thief in the car and quickly fills the car with poison gas.
5) How about cutting the shift lever off at floor level, then tapping the
bottom part to accept a stud you thread into the top part, like so:
|   |
|   |
|___|
\\\\\
\\\\\

_____
|\\\|
|\\\|
|   |
|   |
Then you take the shift lever with you, or lock it in the Tuffy box.
6) Battery cut-off switch under the hood or hidden in the cab.
7) Keep a vicious dog in the cab.
8) Bolt a quick-release steel plate in front of the
brake/clutch/accelerator pedals.

Good luck - a few years ago my buddy found his Toy missing from a parking
lot. The cops found it a few days later down on the beach in Carlsbad. All
that was left was the cab and frame.

 - Nick

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Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 19:44:08 +0530
From: elbutcho@juno.com (Paul Tom)
Subject: '93/anti-theft
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

Hi everyone,
I just had some welding done yesterday and I didn't even think to
ask the welder if he should disconnect the battery.  Had I known I would
have definitely unhooked it!  The truck still seems to run fine but I can
see why it would be wise.  By the way I was having a loop welded onto the
idler arm stop, this way when I turn the wheel all the way to the right I
can slip a small krptonite lock around the idler arm and through the
loop, sort of my own version of the Club.  Any thoughts on how effective
this would be?  I just wanted to have a little insurance the truck would
be where I left it when I go down into Mexico.  I still want to make
something to lock the clutch and brake together so you can't push either
down.   Any other anti-theft ideas?   Also does anyone else notice their
truck runs a little sluggish when the weather is hot?  My '93 V6 does and
I'm thinking it has something to do with the density of the air?  At
night it seems to run a lot better but according to the temp gauge it's
always running the same?  



Sorry this got so long,


Paul Tom
'93 xtra-cab V6

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Date: Sun, 24 Aug 97 07:44:48 PDT
From: hollen@vigra.com
Subject: Anti-theft
To: toy4x4@tlca.org

Remove the fuses from under the hood.  You can't even start it *with*
the proper key when they are removed.  Also, take your rotor with you.

dion

`85 4Runner 22RE
`86 4x4 PU 22RE

Dion Hollenbeck (619)597-7080x164                 Email: hollen@vigra.com
                                             http://www.vigra.com/~hollen
Sr. Software Engineer - Vigra Div. of Visicom Labs  San Diego, California

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Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 19:18:32 +0100 (MET)
From: Pete Hurd 
Subject: Ignition kill switch
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

Hello all,

My last car fell victim to bump-n-jump outside of my place one night,
I heard a familiar engine start up and got to watch it disappear into the 
night.  Now I've got a Toy4x4 PU, and would like to not have this happen 
again.  Years ago I drove delivery, and all our vans had hidden switches 
somewhere in the ignition system.  It worked, every six months or so people 
would try to drive off in them, but didn't get anywhere.

I'm tempted to put a switch into my Toyota, I'd sleep better.  What I
don't know is much about the ideal place to break the circuit with a
switch.  The delivery vans had them under the hood, which was
inconvienient enough that it makes me think there had to be a good reason
not to put it in the wires exiting the steering column (high current?)

So my obvious questions, is there a standard name for this operation, 
where is the wisest place to put this switch in, and how does a motor 
ignoramus (with a chilton's guide - not terribly enlightening on these 
maters) find it?

TIA,

Cheers,
- -P.

- -- 
Pete Hurd                                          pete@zool.su.se 
Zoologiska Institutionen                          Ph# +46-8-16-40-37
Stockholms Universitetet                          Fax +46-8-16-77-15
Stockholm S-106 91 Sweden             http://ethology.zool.su.se/pete.html

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Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 05:23:37 -0700
From: Brian Rishaw 
Subject: Ignition kill switch
To: Toyota 4x4 Digest-posting 

The wire you want to interrupt is the negative wire going to the coil.
Cut it and run two wires into your cab somewhere hidden (under the seat,
glove box, under the dash, etc.) and attach these two wires to a simple
on/off toggle switch. Be sure to solder all the connections - if one
comes loose while you're driving, the engine will die! If your truck has
EFI, I believe its the black wire with a white stripe going from the
amplifier module to the negative terminal on the coil.

Good Luck -- Brian Rishaw

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Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 10:11:37 -0500
From: Agustinus Gunawan 
Subject: Ignition kill switch
To: "'Toy4x4@tlca.org'" 

Jacobs electronic have a kill switch module that works. I know not many 
people like the ignition system but this anti theft system works. It will 
let the engine be started normally and if the switch is not touched 
within 30 second the engine will dies like it was running out of gas. The 
engine could be restarted after half an hour or you have to reset the 
memory by disconnecting the power lead to the box. Not convenient if you 
forgot to trigger the switch but it works to stop the thief.

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Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 12:34:37 -8 GMT
From: "Leo G. Divinagracia III" 
Subject: Ignition kill switch
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

wire it so it's right before the starter solenoid.  then use a momentary 
switch.  i've seen people use like the cig lighter as the switch.  i've seen 
hidden pressure switches under the floor mat also.  then there's the one that 
used his highbeam switch as the 'hidden' switch.  don't forget to use the 
appropriate size wire or else you may overheat the wire...

- -----------------------
Leo G. Divinagracia III           
ldivinag@csuhayward.edu

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Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 19:36:11 -0600
From: Steve Harron & Jennifer Lippold 
Subject: kill switch
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

I put a fancy version of a kill switch in my truck and my other cars. 
It is a second starter solinoid on the positive wire that runs to the
starter motor.  I used a Ford solinoid and attached it near the starter
out of obvious view.  Unless both solinoids are engaged, no power can go
to the starter. I suppose you could also do something with a relay on
the EFI circuit.  Just an idea.

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Date: 16 Jan 98 21:53:05 -0500
From: "Karl Bellve" 
Subject: kill switch
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

Why not hook a switch to the fuel pump? The person might turn the
motor over, and it might fire a little wire but it will run out of gas
and they certainly don't want to try find the problem stuck in the
middle of the road.

Cheers,


Dr. Karl Bellve
Biomedical Imaging Group
University of Massachusetts
WWW  : http://molmed.ummed.edu/~kdb/
Email: kdb@molmed.ummed.edu
Phone: (508) 856-3785
Fax  : (508) 856-1840

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Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 04:29:27 -0800
From: "Vic & Lorelei" 
Subject: Ignition kill switch
To: "Toy4x4 List" 

A friend of mine with a Landcruiser put a headlight dimmer switch on the
floor. He used the wire off of the engine fuse. I think my 82' has an engine
fuse as well.
I like this idea because no one will look twice at it.

Just my thoughts.


When approaching a four-way stop, the vehicle with the largest
tires always has the right of way.
http://www.cnx.net/~vsery/
vsery@cnx.net

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Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 00:01:57 EST
From: DRM033 
Subject: Re: theft - possible ideas to stop it

I have had several ideas, some of which are probably not original.

- -After mine was broken into, I did the cheapest thing I could for the rear
window.  I bought some thumb screw window stoppers from the local home store
(like $2).  The guy at the glass shop said this was far better than any latch.
It would be almost impossible to pry the rear window open now.  

- -I also made an interior alarm for the rear window.  I took a normally open
contact switch & mounted it to the window.  this is wired to a small piezo
tweater for mow.  I will upgrade it to a louder more pain inducing one later.
if someone sticks their head in the rear window, they will hopefully not like
the sound in their ear.  

- -why not wire into the clutch start cancel switch so that if you switch
another hidden switch, pushing in the clutch will not let the truck start.  

- -I used a bicycle cable & pad lock to hook my MTX boxes to the cab behind my
seat.

- -Why not get real ingenuitive & hook up an electromagnetic coupler in the door
that must be disabled/armed with a remote unit.  

- -replace all glass with the kind with steel mesh built in  :)

- -make a metal coupler that locks the shifter to the x-fer shifter and doesn't
let either one more.

- -build a steel plate that is removable but entirely covers the stereo console.

- -use steel cable to secure the back of the head unit to the dash structure

- -I have seen portable battery operated motion detectors you could mount some
in your truck & wire them to a real loud interior alarm.  

- -install a hologram projector that makes the interior of the truck look
completely empty, filled with deadly snakes, filled with water &
pihrana's(sp), etc.

- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
David Moore                       DRM033@aol.com
90 Toyota Truck - 4" ProComp, 33" Swampers,
4.88's, rear ARB, TJM bumper & Ramsey #8000
                        TLCA #5662 
         Traxx In Motion 4 Wheel Drive Club   
              www.netmatter.com/traxx                  
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------


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