According to You: How to protect your classic from being stolen
Your answers to our question about ways to prevent the theft of classic vehicles went above and beyond; they not only taught others interesting tricks but kept us all grounded. That’s because car thieves are likely to never tire, and if at first they don’t succeed, they shall try again. However, the harder you make it, the less likely they are to remain motivated. Or, as Hagerty Community member @David said:
You know, despite our best efforts, if some nefarious person(s) want what you have, they’re probably going to figure out how to get it. Kill switches and other such devices are fine, but the determined thief will just roll up with a tow truck and drive off if they have zeroed in on your car.
I mainly want to deter the opportunistic thieves out there. So, I keep my cars locked when not in use and in public and I make sure my insurance is active and the value up-to-date.
How do we lower the chances of a vehicular tragedy? Let’s learn more from your answers.
Losing that spark
@Jeepcj5: On one of my vehicles I have a hidden switch that kills the spark. This kill switch allows the starter to still turn, it just won’t fire up. Hopefully [thieves] get discouraged quick enough when it just sits there and spins over, or they draw enough attention to walk away before they troubleshoot the wiring.
@brian: I put a two-prong turn-signal flasher in line with [the] ignition-circuit motor. It starts, it will rev up, but when put in drive [it] won’t pull itself!
@vette guy: How about running a wire from the hot side of the coil to a switch, then to a loud horn? There are many ways to alert you; just use your imagination!
@Walter: A friend of mine had a 1968 Dodge Super Bee. He wired the high beam switch (which was on the floor) as the ignition cutoff switch and mounted a switch under the dash to activate the high beams.
I myself had a 1969 Roadrunner that someone tried to steal three times. First time they pushed in the small vent window, then cranked down the window and opened the door. They removed the bezel around the ignition switch but tried to remove the switch by pulling it forward, when all they had to do was push it and it would have fallen out the back. I then installed an alarm, so the second time the alarm went off and they were gone. The third time they knew there was an alarm, so they pushed in the vent window again, rolled down the window, and climbed through. What they didn’t know is that there were two ignition-cutoff switches under the dash. Unsuccessful again.
@Malcolm: Battery disconnects work well.
Own a “difficult” vehicle
@Jeff: I use the standard features my 1954 Austin-Healey came with as standard features: no exterior door handles, a battery disconnect switch, a starter button, and a manual transmission.
@Michael: 1938 Chevrolet—first level is a manual transmission and a floor-mounted starter—would probably slow down some of the bad guys. A battery disconnect (with the battery under the floorboard) may slow down the next level [of thief].
@Headturner: My van has the best deterrent straight from the factory: a three-on-the-tree will keep them occupied. My ’57 Chevy is a four-speed but I leave the key in it while it is in the garage. If they steal it, I’d rather not have them cut up a 65-year-old harness to hot-wire it.
A bypass switch is like “fuels” gold?
@Mike: I have a kill switch hidden in plain sight: An unused blower switch on the dashboard, rewired to the electric fuel-pump hot line.
@Mike, but not the same one as above: I’ve pulled the fuel pump fuse before. I’ve even cable-locked around a coil spring before. Anything to make a thief have to spend more time.
Steering-wheel locks
@Jeff: Nothing is more satisfying than a cross-country trip in a classic car. Yes, I use a steering wheel club and always turn the wheels all the way to one side so it can’t be towed. I guess the best suggestion is to stay in a nice hotel in a nice suburb and park under a street lamp as close to the front door of the hotel as possible. If there is a security camera on the building I park under that as well. But I still worry about the car. I’m looking forward to reading other’s replies.
@Jim: I think thieves will usually get a car if they want it bad enough, but the idea is to make it inconvenient for them. That’s the reason I use steering wheel clubs, especially when an overnight parking place looks iffy. They’re cheap and only take seconds to put on the wheel.
@Bernd: I use a club since the airbag in the steering wheel of my daily driver was stolen twice. (Now it’s a quite an old model, thieves get them at the scrap yard.)
@Blu: A club can be defeated with big bolt cutters: [You] cut the steering wheel beside the club and take it off. A hidden battery disconnect works well.
Tracking devices
@greg: I have a Viper alarm on one, and Carlock on my other two. All have instant phone app notifications (including my ’31 Model A). I sleep well at night, even if staying in a hotel on the road; and no, I have no stake in either company.
@Arrow: Just put mine away for Christmas, but I’m going to put an Apple AirTag in my classic when it’s out of the garage.
Balloons
@DUB6: We once went on a road trip with friends. Two classics in a motel parking lot in unknown (for crime) areas was a bit scary. We bought two balloons that had blinking mini-lights inside them (it was nearing Halloween). Deflated the balloons and placed the tiny, blinking lights down in the speedometer wells. In the dark, it looked like both cars had activated security systems. A thorough thief shoulda/coulda/woulda figured it out, but at least we all slept easier!
Bunka’s Bunker?
@Bunka: I keep my Porsche 356 in the garage. It is a one-car garage. The car outside in the driveway abutting the street is my daily driver. A thief first has to get it out of the way. It is always locked. Then there is my wife’s car which also needs to be removed; it is also locked. Then there is the garage door: No handle on the outside so you need to know the code in order to open it. Then the trash cans and soon-to-be snowblower have to be removed from in front of the 356, which is in the back.
All of the work and time involved to steal the car is bound to draw someone’s attention. I feel very confident that the car is secure. On the flip side, I have to plan an extra 30 minutes in advance when I want to go to a car show or rally. As far as security is concerned when the car is out, I have the factory-installed shift lock and the factory-installed interior gas shut off. The various positions of the gas shut off are all written in German so that makes it a time-consuming, trial-and-error thing.
Do it all?
@DrivingHy: Everything said here is true. There’s no defense for a determined thief. Given enough time any car can be stolen. That said, I do agree many devices and clubs are better than none and will slow [thieves] down or divert them elsewhere, but it’s best to be proactive. I’ll do the club just for something obvious but also remove something essential that prevents a thief from getting away quickly.
I’ve known people who’ve removed all the lug nuts from one wheel. It’s rarely noticed and can stop a thief fairly quick when a wheel comes off. I suppose it’s better to have a damaged and abandoned car than one that’s stolen.
In my case, I’ll pull the distributor cap and wires. Park in an “ender” preferably next to a fixed barrier like a wall and turn the wheels in a direction that makes backing out straight impossible. Naturally I always set the handbrake so if they try to tow the car it’s way harder to go unnoticed and pull it out straight and onto a flatbed.
Naturally an AirTag (or similar) couldn’t hurt. And take lots of car pics after parking it—just in case the police need to ID it …
If I go [a] long distance and am not comfortable with the area, I’ll sleep in my car before leaving it out of sight!
Keep it a secret
@DUB6: Well frankly, I’m not inclined to publicize any details, but suffice [it] to say that through various electronic and mechanical means, I feel pretty—well, fairly—confident. I will say that one should not rely on one tactic only, but combine two or more so you have backup. And then, tell/show no one—NO ONE—what your secrets are. If you are not a “wrencher” or DIYer, you may indeed have to pay someone to install some sort of system(s), so please be sure you know your installer well.
@TooFast4Me: You make a very good point which a lot of people miss. Know your installer! About 30 years ago there was a place that installed car stereos, alarms, and auto-start systems. They would install and collected everyone’s info, wait awhile, then start stealing back—car stereos, at first. Then entire cars, since they knew the alarm-system codes by having a spare remote made. The business did not do the thefts themselves but sold the info to others. It was only when some very high-value vehicles went missing that they caught the culprits and they admitted they bought the info from the business. That business in particular had not only a great reputation but [had] in business for over 35 years. Needless to say, the business is gone.
If you can’t install it yourself then ask other owners of high-value vehicles to recommend someone. GPS/cell trackers work well but [they are] ongoing expenses. But again, [as] a lot of good points stated in these replies: keep your insurance up to date, know your environment, and a gut feeling is usually right!
@don: Yup, the club is great, but then add a hidden kill switch (that stops most people) and I keep the vehicle in a locked garage with my daily driver in front of it. My “collector” cars are not extremely high value so I think I don’t need much else, so just keep your secrets, secret.
@Sajeev Mehta: I keep a few secrets for this reason too, because some of my vehicles have hidden theft deterrents and automotive journalists are easily googleable by anyone. I love my silly Fords too much to have it any other way. (Even if they are mostly value-less to most any thief.)
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A girl that I knew drove a dark green 67 Galaxie fastback (this was in the 80’s, so she was unusual). It was stolen, and she said that if it was ever found I could have it. It was found a couple of states away with the harness at the switch hacked up. I hotwired it under the hood easily and we drove it home. The reason for the story is that we stopped several times on the trip and I would open the hood to start and stop the car, and no one blinked an eye at restaurants, gas stations, etc. whenever I “stole” it each time. Anyway, the car was stolen again years later and never seen again.
I’ve always liked hidden switches, but as many have said, the real enemy is the flat bed tow truck. Maybe a tracker is the better solution nowadays. Could make for some dangerous and exciting confrontations for someone not just calling the police. Does anyone know if the police respond well to a call that says that your car is stolen and you have a tracker? Probably depends on where you live.
what is a denver boot /
“Denver Boot” – device invented in Denver to immobilize a vehicle (due to unpaid fines, etc.). Boot fully surrounds a tire and vehicle can’t be moved. A City authority is needed to remove upon payment of fines, fees, etc. Vehicle might move but rotating boot will destroy wheel well, sheet metal, tire, — .
I use a detachable steering wheel kit and keep the steering wheel in a small backpack and take it with me inside the store.
A VERY UGLY WOMAN SITTING IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT
Factory original 1966 Chevrolet Caprice 396. Locked garage. Club installed on steering wheel. Came home from work and it was gone. I was neither the victim or the thief, but was very close to the owner. I know this story to be true.
I agree with @TingeofGinge. The best theft deterrent is to have a car that isn’t worth stealing. My ’65 Impala is beautiful, and only has 84,000 miles on it, but being a 4-door hardtop with a 283 and Powerglide automatic, it’s not worth anyone’s time or effort to steal, whether to possess or part out.
I have a 61 bugeye sprite with an sbc 383ci.
There’s a keyed ground switch behind the rear license plate is, next to the battery.
I always carry my nine mill. My biggest problem is being car jacked
Model T…good luck in getting it started….
There are cheap live GPS trackers out there, install along with window stickers stating so. Obv. storing inside is the best, but if you can’t block it in if possible and/or block it up and take off a couple of the wheels.
The live GPS thing can work the other way- many have magnets so at a car show someone could easily pop it under your bumper and you’d never know unless you searched. But even so if out driving, I always keep an eye out if anyone is following me home. So if suspicious make stops and do some loops to see if they follow- or if they switch off vehicles. Don’t be afraid to stop and get pix of the car and license and call the cops. The fact they are persistently following you means that any cops have reasonable cause to search their garage etc. That’s what I do whenever I take my ’67 427 Corvette out.
Don’t recall the year VW added them to the bus and then later to the bugs, but the Electro-Magnetic Fuel cut off switch, intended to prevent Run On, made for a cheap and easy way for me to theft proof my college friends VWs. The switch was on the ignition circuit, so just pulled it off that and wired it up with a toggle switch where the owner wanted it. Ign and oil lights would come on when the car was hotwired, the starter would crank like the dickens, but no gas down the carb meant no starting.
Told this to someone and was told he’d added a manual valve to the fuel line on his corvette, When someone stole his car it stalled half way down the block from his house and was abandoned. Easily recovered.
I didn’t read all replies. I have learned from a previous convertible I had, that you should not lock the doors least you have your top sliced open. I have a kill switch and a ratcheting brake lock which I prefer over the steering wheel lock. I am considering a police type boot lock too.
My 1963 Lemans convertible does not have door locks, but you can lock it with the key. The coupes do have locks.
Magna Volt ! ” The final word in auto security” as seen in RoboCop 2 LOL.
All good advice here. But I’m not worry at all! Let them try. And if they succeed then is time for a new classic for me. This is why we have insurance and we paid allot for it!
English and punctuation have also been stolen from some folks.