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Theft Proofing your K5 - What to do?

reddog64

reddog64

1/2 ton status
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Federal Way, Washington
I decided to look at stolen rig ad's on another local forum... I was board...

WOW...
Mistake...
Lots of rigs seem to get stolen in washington state... especially lifted, "fun" looking off-road trucks...

I'd be pretty pissed if I came out of Wal-Mart/Sears/Fred Meyer's/Mall etc and couldnt find my K5 I'd put 5 grand into...
Most seem to turn of in pieces off logging roads missing "minor" parts like winches, axles, motor's etc... usually hacked to crap... :mad:

So before it happens, (and i'll sleep 10x better) What can be done, or what have you dont to prevent theft... Maybe prevent is a bad word... what have you dont to hinder theft...
I know, if someone really wants it... it can be stolen.. but i'll make it damn hard at least...:o


I'm interested in hearing about fuel cut off's that are hidden, kill switches etc... Dont tell me about your specific setup if it's top secret...
 
Make a hidden fuel cut off, kill switch, etc. Really, that's all there is. Then you would have to keep your secret stuff secret. That's the hard part.
 
I wonder if it would be possible to SAFELY extend the wires going to the distributor to a hidden switch in the cab then back to the dizzy. So when the switch is off no go on starting.
Thanks
Adam
Cowboy_80 said:
Make a hidden fuel cut off, kill switch, etc. Really, that's all there is. Then you would have to keep your secret stuff secret. That's the hard part.
Click to expand...
 
reddog64 said:
I decided to look at stolen rig ad's on another local forum... I was board...

WOW...
Mistake...
Lots of rigs seem to get stolen in washington state... especially lifted, "fun" looking off-road trucks...

I'd be pretty pissed if I came out of Wal-Mart/Sears/Fred Meyer's/Mall etc and couldnt find my K5 I'd put 5 grand into...
Most seem to turn of in pieces off logging roads missing "minor" parts like winches, axles, motor's etc... usually hacked to crap... :mad:

So before it happens, (and i'll sleep 10x better) What can be done, or what have you dont to prevent theft... Maybe prevent is a bad word... what have you dont to hinder theft...
I know, if someone really wants it... it can be stolen.. but i'll make it damn hard at least...:o


I'm interested in hearing about fuel cut off's that are hidden, kill switches etc... Dont tell me about your specific setup if it's top secret...
Click to expand...

Thats a super excellent question that ive had rolling around in the back of my head:confused:. Glad you brought it up:waytogo:.
My suburban came with a nice alarm system (compustar) w/remote start blah blah blah, but it will also page me up to two miles (line of site) and has (B&I shopping center in Tacoma-you probably know the place). I came running out and found some bus stop hoods leaning on it. It works for close stuff like that but...
I love to fish rivers and am always scared to park remotely in anything but my pu. Cant move to fast waist deep in water then up a trail or whatever:doah:
Anyways, enough, love to here more ideas like a 50,000volt force field:haha:or something ...:D
Dustin
 
adamforsythe said:
I wonder if it would be possible to SAFELY extend the wires going to the distributor to a hidden switch in the cab then back to the dizzy. So when the switch is off no go on starting.
Thanks
Adam
Click to expand...


This is the idea I have been thinking of trying. My thought is that if someone pops the ignition and tries to start it, It will crank but not fire. Hopefully giving the impression that it is not running so they wont hunt for a hidden switch.
 
99.999999999999999999999% of GM vehicles this vintage are stolen because the column is smashed. Get a column guard collar, and you've reduced your risk by 99.999999999999999999999% Yes there will be exceptions, there always are. But breaking a window and smashing the side of the column takes all of 5 seconds to drive away in your truck, WHY would they go any other route?

I don't see why anyone does anything further. If they really want it they'll flat bed it, but the above official numbers (MY official numbers lol) prove that the column guard is the easiest, quickest, and least likely to cause you problems, unlike messing around with the truck wiring. :)

Seriously though, go to the wrecking yard, and wander through all the vehicles. All your Cutlass', Monte Carlo's, GM trucks, any that use the same column as we do, that people actually want to steal, and you will see without fail at least one or two that have a smashed column. Those are the theft recoveries. If people really want to question this, take a later S10 column apart. You'll notice that GM actually added a steel piece inside the column to prevent this from happening, instead of making the upper column piece out of steel like they should have.

I feel 100% better having that column guard on my truck (not that anyone would want to steal it) but I do use it because I can't stand the thought of someone taking MY stuff, especially knowing how easy they are to steal.
 
That makes a lot of since. I have never looked at one. How does the lock on the collar work? Is it as break proof as the rest of the collar?
 
One of my old friends had a setup in his Yota that wouldn't start unless the cigarette lighter was in place(some kind of kill switch). It was a pretty neat idea, but I'm pretty sure I'd lose the damn thing and have to rig my truck to start it. I forgot where he got it from, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't very expensive.

Hope that helps
 
adamforsythe said:
I wonder if it would be possible to SAFELY extend the wires going to the distributor to a hidden switch in the cab then back to the dizzy. So when the switch is off no go on starting.
Thanks
Adam
Click to expand...

Yes. The feed wire for the dizzy is just 12vdc. No biggy. You can switch it or relay it. The cig lighter is a good idea. Either turn the lighter itself into a switch, or tap a switch into the receptacle that the lighter engages. People turn their bright light switch into a starter switch. Other's mount multiple toggle switches to act like dip switches. 1 on, 1 off, it runs. 2 on, it doesn't. Other people relocate their batteries and have a batt kill switch located under a rocker panel. The armored 'Burbans I worked on in Iraq had cool switches on the center console. With all of the extra gear that was attached, there was a problem with batt drain. It was a rotary switch that allowed them to select one batt or the other, both, or none. Not really anti-theft, but it can be used as such. You can even lock a chain around the steering wheel. There are endless ways of doing it. In the end, it's up to you. Whatever you can think of, whatever you can make work. You can even lock a chain around the steering wheel.

Dyeager... That's how my '79 was ganked. I'm sure that's how anyway. doors were locked, keys were in my pocket. Truck was gone the next morning. I hate people.
 
I think I will try the dizzy switch. I am going to put a alarm on it to.
Thanks
Adam
 
Years ago, I had a boss that had a setup like Cowboy mentioned. He had 8 small identical switches on the center console that had to be in a certain on/off pattern for the car to start. When he parked he flipped them all up or down. Unless the thief rewired everything, he would have to guess the pattern. 8 on/off switches = 256 permutations.
 
I relocated my ignition switch to a different spot, so my column only works for turn signals and steering. My truck is sitting right now so my steering wheel is off. I generally just pull my stereo and wheel off every time the truck doesnt work and has to sit for a while.
 
dyeager535 said:
99.999999999999999999999% of GM vehicles this vintage are stolen because the column is smashed. Get a column guard collar, and you've reduced your risk by 99.999999999999999999999% Yes there will be exceptions, there always are. But breaking a window and smashing the side of the column takes all of 5 seconds to drive away in your truck, WHY would they go any other route?

I don't see why anyone does anything further. If they really want it they'll flat bed it, but the above official numbers (MY official numbers lol) prove that the column guard is the easiest, quickest, and least likely to cause you problems, unlike messing around with the truck wiring. :)

Seriously though, go to the wrecking yard, and wander through all the vehicles. All your Cutlass', Monte Carlo's, GM trucks, any that use the same column as we do, that people actually want to steal, and you will see without fail at least one or two that have a smashed column. Those are the theft recoveries. If people really want to question this, take a later S10 column apart. You'll notice that GM actually added a steel piece inside the column to prevent this from happening, instead of making the upper column piece out of steel like they should have.

I feel 100% better having that column guard on my truck (not that anyone would want to steal it) but I do use it because I can't stand the thought of someone taking MY stuff, especially knowing how easy they are to steal.
Click to expand...

And where do i get one of these???
Got a pic?
 
This isnt the one I was thinking of, but here gives you an idea.

CG1AC-3.jpg


http://simjack.com:8185/main.htm
 
DR said:
That makes a lot of since. I have never looked at one. How does the lock on the collar work? Is it as break proof as the rest of the collar?
Click to expand...

There are two styles. One (Steadfast) actually rivets together, over your column. Obviously on this style your key still fits in with the guard installed.

The second style, that I have, is a clamshell style. Hinge in the middle, it simply locks together over the column, and you use it's key to unlock it. You can't get at the lock cylinder with this one in place.

Plus, the worst you'll end up with using one of these is a busted window. With cutoff switches, you still get to replace your column.
 
Here are some pics.

How they are stolen:
attachment.php

Text from that post: "If you look in this picture. you can see how a chevy is stolen. I have fixed several columns with this. Right above the turn signal, they punh a hole with a screw driver. Then the have your truck. Takes all of about 30 seconds to do."

What my column guard looks like:
columncollorlockjpg0uu.jpg


None of these images are mine, and neither are the quoted words. Too much of a hurry to cite them, it's all from this board, and I appreciate folks having posted them.

Pep boys sold these, and I saw reference to ebay having them as well.
 
Id say if you havce that much money in the truck, go for both the collar and cutoff switch(es). Theives go for easy ****, the harder you make it, the less likley theyll even try or continue their efforts. But as i said, if they really want it theyll just strip her there or flatbed it. But then again im sure theres ways of making that hard too.
 
I bought a Grant steering wheel and their anti theft system. You remove the steering wheel and it comes with a bright red metal cap that locks in its place. My Tuffy console should be here tomorrow and thats where the wheel will go when its off.

Not really a lot of car thefts down here though.
 
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