Theft prevention

[jms700]

hello,

have a spitfire and an mgb and i cent help but feel they are an easy targer to steal. was wonderin if any one had any tips for theft prevention ( with out taking the rotor arm out) like fuel or battery cut off switch ~?

thanks

[TPS]

Are you on about where they are kept or out in public?
If its in the garage then clamps,ground anchors with a heave duty chain plus decent locks and security posts.
Out in public is more difficult but a decent alarm,secret cut off switches for the ignition but best of all tracker.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Disklok
Hidden immobiliser switch
Alarm with pager
Tracker
etc.

[DBSV8]

I would change the boss and buy a removable steering wheel , you can still fit a retro period steering wheel

[Jefftav]

A good quality steering wheel lock as a visible deterrent and if you have a leccy fuel pump then a hidden cut off switch is good as long as you remember to use it of course. The tea leaf gets 100yds down the road and the engine cuts out out and most will simply leg it without trying work out whats happened.
Of course if someone really wants your car then they will just bring a low loader and cart it off so a tracker is the best thing for this.

[miniman]

Simple switch in the coil negative lead works fine. My brother used to hide one in the ashtray in his Mini.

[TPS]

Jefftav said:

A good quality steering wheel lock as a visible deterrent

As long as it is one of those ones that covers the whole steering wheels.Avoid any of the bar types ones.

[na]

Stop worring about it

Put on some kind of visable deterrent if it eases you

Our cars are not targets for joy rides or car thieves (normally, unless you have an outstanding examples then only huge outside chance)

Lock your valuables in the boot out of sight, put your visable deterent on, lock the doors (on a rag-top!!!???), put the roof up if it eases you but don't worry too much

Personally I've very often parked with the roof down (doors locked of course! on a rag-top!?!) - you must live or visit some dodgy places

I'm sure now we'll hear tales of ordinary B and Spits being stolen to order - be honest the cars are not rare or that valuable so you can play the odds

[socorob]

I had a co worker about 15 years ago get a Miata. He NEVER locked it because his reasoning was if someone was to steal the stereo or nything,, at least they wouldnt cut the top. Well, one day his stereo got stolen, they cut the top before they checked to see if the doors were unlocked.

[Andy 308GTB]

TPS said:

As long as it is one of those ones that covers the whole steering wheels.Avoid any of the bar types ones.

What's wrong with the bar types?

I fit one to my station car (Rover 416GSi Beast-O-Matic, the value of which is directly linked to the amount of petrol in the tank). I only put a krook-lok on it as it got stolen a few years ago by a man armed with just a screw driver. It took 4 weeks to retrieve it and I reckon it me cost £600 to do so.

[Hooli]

Andy 308GTB said:

TPS said:

As long as it is one of those ones that covers the whole steering wheels.Avoid any of the bar types ones.

What's wrong with the bar types?

I fit one to my station car (Rover 416GSi Beast-O-Matic, the value of which is directly linked to the amount of petrol in the tank). I only put a krook-lok on it as it got stolen a few years ago by a man armed with just a screw driver. It took 4 weeks to retrieve it and I reckon it me cost £600 to do so.

Snip of the wheel with bolt cutters & it falls off without stopping them driving the car away.

[TPS]

Hooli said:

Andy 308GTB said:

TPS said:

As long as it is one of those ones that covers the whole steering wheels.Avoid any of the bar types ones.

What's wrong with the bar types?

I fit one to my station car (Rover 416GSi Beast-O-Matic, the value of which is directly linked to the amount of petrol in the tank). I only put a krook-lok on it as it got stolen a few years ago by a man armed with just a screw driver. It took 4 weeks to retrieve it and I reckon it me cost £600 to do so.

Snip of the wheel with bolt cutters & it falls off without stopping them driving the car away.

As above.They are very easy to cut off by hacksawing the wheel.Secondly they act as an aid to break the steering lock.

[grumbledoak]

Much harder to get off.

Edited by grumbledoak on Friday 22 April 20:35

[Andy 308GTB]

TPS said:

Hooli said:

Andy 308GTB said:

TPS said:

As long as it is one of those ones that covers the whole steering wheels.Avoid any of the bar types ones.

What's wrong with the bar types?

I fit one to my station car (Rover 416GSi Beast-O-Matic, the value of which is directly linked to the amount of petrol in the tank). I only put a krook-lok on it as it got stolen a few years ago by a man armed with just a screw driver. It took 4 weeks to retrieve it and I reckon it me cost £600 to do so.

Snip of the wheel with bolt cutters & it falls off without stopping them driving the car away.

As above.They are very easy to cut off by hacksawing the wheel.Secondly they act as an aid to break the steering lock.

Understood.
In my case, I'm simply trying to deter chancers carrying a screwdriver.

If people are determined enough to wield bolt cutters on a 19 year old Rover, with a knackered gearbox, velour seating, plastic wood effect trim & terminal amounts of rust. That doesn't have a panel without a dent etc etc etc... then good luck to them.

[na]

socorob said:

I had a co worker about 15 years ago get a Miata. He NEVER locked it because his reasoning was if someone was to steal the stereo or nything,, at least they wouldnt cut the top. Well, one day his stereo got stolen, they cut the top before they checked to see if the doors were unlocked.

na said:

Lock your valuables in the boot out of sight,

don't give the slightest invitation to these thieving idiots

Edited by na on Saturday 23 April 12:50

[gr88]

i've got a quick release steering wheel adaptor

http://www.b-gdirect.com/universal-products/b-g-st...

take the steering wheel away with you !

[jms700]

thanks for all the responces, will probably use a stearing wheal lock. and rotor arm if im away over night.
problem with the spitfire is its a rag top and theres the bonnet catches are out side so stearign lock seems smart
i just started thinking about it when i read about the daf and the vitesse stolen in the stolen threads on here.

thanks

[NiceCupOfTea]

jms700 said:

thanks for all the responces, will probably use a stearing wheal lock. and rotor arm if im away over night.
problem with the spitfire is its a rag top and theres the bonnet catches are out side so stearign lock seems smart
i just started thinking about it when i read about the daf and the vitesse stolen in the stolen threads on here.

thanks

That will deter most casual theives and joyriders. You'll never stop anybody who wants to steal to order, but chances are they're going for big value stuff.

[anonymous-user]

Switch in the feed or earth of the fuel pump, put on an electric pump, allows car to sart and then stops, when the float chambers empty. Some one tried to steel my MG in Lodon (years ago) started and stopped and the exit to the multi story, they ran way, if the car was imobilsed they'd have had the wheels radio etc. (and cheap)

[//j17]

For the Spitfire one option a number of people use is to fit a battery cutoff switch in the back of the passengers glovebox...that backs directly on to the battery box.