My Stolen Rig Is Found

[Fishy Jim]

Does anyone even pay attention to car alarms anymore? Just sit there and look embarrassed and act like you're trying to make it shut up and 99% of people (1% possibly being a cop) are going to pay absolutely no attention to your alarm.

Once entry is gained, it only takes a few seconds to cut the wires to the siren anyway.

Some kind of axle locks on all 4 would be the only way to keep someone (short of a flat bed) from hauling it off. Never heard of fake towing outfits stealing cars? Happens all the time where chop shops or cars being sent to Russia are concerned. Looks official enough that few mind the car blaring away as it's hauled down the road.

Insurance is really the only way you can protect your investment. Cause it's only a matter of time before something happens to most customized cars. I know, my jeep spent 4 months in the shop after thieves cut every wire under the dash trying to figure out how to get it started. See, with my ignition disabler (my design), you needed power to a relay to engage the start circuit. Most ignition kills need power applied to disable the circuit and the relay is installed directly under the dash (the relay being normally closed). Mine was wired right next to the starter solenoid. In trying to make my jeep start, they cut the wires needed to allow that to happen.

I wouldn't let any old installer do a car alarm. The places that do them like that all use the same routing and locations for given components. Any thief with experience becomes attuned to where to go first to get at the alarm and disable it. Hide the brain, hide the back up battery (an absolute must have) and hide all the wiring for the ignition controls. That way, when the thief looks under the dash, they get puzzled when they don't find what they're expecting to get away with the vehicle. Bury any additional wiring so it's not obvious from underneath that it isn't factory. Anything that looks out of place will just get cut before they attempt entry.

I was pretty involved in custom stereos back in the early 90's (multi-thousand dollar systems). Alarms were a given.

[storts]

Sorry for your Loss,,My snap-on guy showed me the alarm on a snap-on tool truck,,Sure they need it,but a flea with a pair of sneakers lands on that truck,its not going anywhere!!!!!!

Just would not want to see the price tag!!

[blazin454]

i hate thieves... the line locks front and rear would deffinately get them off to a slow start... when i was doin an apprenticeship for mechanics at a ford dealer i took a truck out of the shop then later went to move it again and could get anything to happen... one of the journeymen told me "o just hammer on the dash" with a bit of a grin.. i kinda laughed and say ya im not gonna start hitting the guys truck.. then he told me no seriously hit it... so i kinda tapped it and then he came up and hit it somewhat hard on the dash and boom she was ready to go... it was a security device he installed to totally immobilize the truck once the key had been out... it cut out the whole electrical system and the only way to get anything to work was to hit the dash cuz there was a reset button under the dash pad... so there is some anti theft devices that will prevent your truck from goin anywhere without a key.... well unless they tow it away.... hopefully you can find one so you never have this problem again... that was a nice looking truck you had... sorry to hear.

[youngwelder]

any one that would steal a nother mans tool is the lowest life form on earth and deserves to be shot a mans tools are his way of life especially a rig welder u steal some ones rig like urs needs to go die in a hole. i feel for u man i like the kill switch idea and have saw it on 4x4 on tv one time well best of luck with building ur truck back up and geting ur name out there

[m.k.swelding]

I hate to here about your truck all tore up.

[Nitto9]

hey, sorry to hear about that.
I have been thinking about makeing one that is like a house arrest setup.... how it works is you park your truck, set the perrimtier, and keep the reciver with you, if it moves or any way goes out of the perimeter it sets the alarm off. So if you could serch for somthing like that..... sounds crazy but i am sure someone can figure somthing out with all the new technology out there... Some company prob has one.

[dogdog]

what's wrong with Lo-jacks, I think those devices are still around ?

[m.k.swelding]

The best way to keep people from stealing anything is to hook a trip wire up to ur door with a 357mag hooked to the other end

[con_fuse9]

Once entry is gained, it only takes a few seconds to cut the wires to the siren anyway.

Couple of things that can help.
1) use multiple speakers - and tie a relay into the car horn. The combo alarm + car horn makes a unique sound that is a bonus if you need to figure out if the thunderstorm set your alarm off or the neighbor's. They also make hi intensity strobe lights that can distract/annoy anyone digging under the dash trying to undo the alarm.

2) Kenwood used to make a alarm-horn/ speaker that even if you ripped it out of the car, would still sound because it had an internal battery. Pretty much had to run it over to make it go quiet.

3) If you do get an alarm a) don't put an LED on the dash - let the fact there is an alarm be a total surpise to the person messing with the truck. If at all possible, rig the alarm to go of when someone test the doors to see if they are unlocked. b) They make pagers with a couple mile range. Should give you enough time to at least be a good (alive) witness. I'm not recommending you do much beyond that - use your best judgment.

4) the best advice is to have good, up to date, insurance. If the insurance company is any good they will be able to recommend an alarm installer for added piece of mind. But as someone once told me - once the car is stolen - I don't want it back. Lord knows how they treated it. If a rod falls out of the block a week after the 'recovery' who will pay for that? Nope, rather get another one. (That's also an excuse to keep your truck modern (renew every 3 years???). It your 10 year old truck gets trashed, the insurance will only pay for a 10 year old truck. If your 3 year old truck gets trashed, well you were about to buy/lease a new one anyway... Nice to have the insurance company kick in full retail value of the old + licensing fees for the new.

Unfortunately many of the rigs that I see pictures here are so nice and well kept, I wouldn't doubt they last 20 years.

[Frank Motoweld]

Tough luck miller101. Where was it parked when it got heisted? I park mine every time in the garage when I'm home but when I'm on a hotel job I keep her as close as possible to my room with the window open a bit. Hope insurance doesn't give you a rough time. Do you have something to keep you going?

I wonder if the solar powered cattle fence energyzer from Princess Auto could be rigged in some way to give a bit of a surprise to the butt worm's evil fingers touching your rig?
Frank

It may be illeagal,but so is stealing your stuff!!!!!

I know on a perfectly legal alarm system that will peper spray a theif thying to hot wire your vehicule on top of doing what all other alarms do,mmmmmmmmm!Not only is he not driving away,he's not running away eitherAll for about $500,how mutch was your rig?
DRAGON ANTI INTRUSION is its name,i think.