Best Theft Prevention Ideas for a 68

[Highwayman68]

I am looking for ideas to prevent the theft of my 1968 when I leave it parked in places like a hotel parking lot over night. I am interested in electrical or mechanical possibilities such as cutting of the ignition or the fuel... any ideas.

For those who are going to ask or make negative comments the answer is because I like driving my car and that will sometimes involve over night stays.

[savemy67]

Hello Mark,

Most local police districts will say that theft is often a crime of opportunity.  We have all heard stories of auto theft where the owner of a car left the motor running, or the keys in the car, or the doors unlocked.  So, number one, always lock your car, and take the keys with you.  Additionally, leave nothing visible in the car that might tempt a thief to smash a window - no paperwork, no prescription drugs, no sunglasses, USB charges - nothing.  You never know what will motivate a thief.  And don't use a Hide-a-Key.

Whether or not a thief thinks he/she might have the opportunity to steal your car, the thief doesn't want to take all day stealing your car.  Anything you can do to slow down a thief will encourage them to leave the scene.  A hidden ignition kill switch is probably a good device to install, and you probably don't want to install it under the dash.  The trunk is a better location.

If a thief gets inside your car and attempts to hot wire the car, bypassing the ignition switch, the car will not start because the circuit is still not complete.  The thief will probably conclude that you have a hidden kill switch, but since it is not under the dash, the thief will have to risk more time to figure out where it is.  The thief may think its under the hood (which on a '68 can be opened by anyone), and will have to take more time trying to locate it.

Can a kill switch be bypassed?  Yes, but this requires carrying a home-made wiring harness to circumvent the factory wiring in the starting and ignition circuits, and the time to make connections (even with alligator clips it still takes time).

My last suggestion is to park your car in such a way as to make it difficult to access it with a roll-back or tow truck.  This may require you to plan where you park.  While you may be tempted to park away from other vehicles, doing so usually allows your car to be picked up by a tow vehicle.  You may want to consider a parking garage, where the ceiling is too low for a tow vehicle, or a parking lot where spaces are at a right angle to the traffic lane.

If you have a determined, sophisticated thief who has targeted your car, the best you can do is increase the amount of time it would require that thief to get the car started or hooked up for a tow.  I hope your car is never stolen.  I am sure others will respond shortly.

Respectfully submitted,

Christopher Winter

[bcroe]

Jacobs Electronics makes some devices which I have used for decades.
Mine are connected to an HEI ignition which provides a spark boost.  I
suspect there is a version for points, that will eliminate the wear out of
those contacts.  But some of them (all?) have an anti theft feature which
is great.  You cannot forget to set it, it works every time you start the
car, and if you forget to hit the disable button, you will find yourself
about a minute later in the middle of the street in a car that will not
run.  Not a situation (in a stolen car) any thief will hang around for, cops
should be there soon. 

I have not researched the latest Jacobs models.  good luck, Bruce Roe

[fishnjim]

Go to an auto accessory place and see what's out there and what it costs.   
Basically, you're trying to create a commotion, draw attention, and buy time before they can do anything.   The horns are kinda an accepted nuisance since every car has one now and people press the button going for their keys.   At store Fri, I heard 3.  No one looked.

I always parked in a well lighted area, not far from my room so I could see/respond, and not close to road/entry, when I was traveling with the boat.   Keep it locked and covered, if possible, ie, don't advertise it.  Chose your places to stay carefully.   
Cheapest way is get a heavy cable lock, turn the wheel all the way, and put through wheel and around frame tight.   Just have to remember to take it off.   Unfortunately, if they want it bad enough, they'll case it out and get it somehow.   They tend to steal what's market "hot" that can be sold/stripped, so not the best candidate.   I'd be more worried about lot collisions, vandals, gawkers, souvenir hunters.

[cadillac ken]

Most thefts these days are done with a professional roll back truck.  I spoke with a Repo guy at a show once that said he can "fork" up a car without even getting out of the cab of his truck within 5 minutes-- and that was several years ago.  I'm confident that those rigs have been much improved.

Truth is car theft is much like the identity theft today. Identity thieves no longer go through your garbage for information to steal, they do it through the internet electronically and likewise car thieves are seldom "hot wiring" cars or simply "joy riding".  As the Repo guy told me they don't need to break into your car, they don't need to start your car, they just lift and go. Of course a rear wheel drive car like our older Cadillacs is a game changer if the front of the car is accessible and the rear is not.  But make no mistake those rigs will simply drag the rear wheels up onto the roll back if the car thief is determined enough.

So the best advice is from Mr. Winter in his last paragraph. 

However, even still, I used to take the rotor out of my distributor and take it with me.  But that car was a Ford and it had a clip type distributor cap and a simple small rotor that pulled right off.  Not so easy with a GM.  But worth considering if the car is left for a longer term park. To add these old Caddilacs of ours are unique enough that they draw quite a bit of attention.  Most thieves I believe realize that they better have a really good plan to secure the car quickly and dispose of it even quicker. 

Personally I worry more about vandalism.  That's something that never seems to go out of style.

[bcroe]

Sure the repro guys may succeed, but he has the law on his side.  What
is more obvious than a a tow truck hauling a vintage car at odd hours? 
If anything goes wrong, the thief will lose a very expensive service truck. 
And alarms are not very effective. 

Check out most car thefts, most of our vintage were/are driven away. 
Just smash the lock and go.  Part of the advantage of the Jacobs is you
do not need to do anything, you cannot forget to set it, and by the time
a thief realizes the car is secure, he is in a very conspicuous place and
must run. 

My daughter (who is smarter than me) once got stranded (for an hour)
in one of my cars, because she forgot to follow the process.  She was so
impressed by it, that she had me install the system on her own car.
Bruce Roe

[TJ Hopland]

There are always these classic options from the 80's.   They were a sure way for thieves to leave your car alone.

[hornetball]

You could always just pull the coil wire and take it inside with you.  I really don't like the idea of adding more failure points to a car.  Do pro thieves really target '68 Caddies?

Too bad these didn't come with manual transmissions.   

[cadillacmike68]

Pulling the coil wire is very quick, taking the rotor takes about a minute. I have twist disconnect cables on the batteries as well. They have a small keeper wire for the clock & radio.

[chrisntam]

Make sure your insurance is up to date and valued properly. 

At one of the GNs, I talked to a guy from the northeast (maybe from Boston?), he said he drove his '67 convertible to many GNs all over the country.  He commented to me that his car was nothing special, there are many '67 convertibles available for sale should his be stolen.  That turned on a light bulb in my head, I came to realize my '70 isn't special, though I have it insured in the upper range (I think $35k) of what Hagerty says it's worth.  Should it be stolen, I should be able to replace it with a decent one.  I don't want it to be stolen, but if it is, it's insured.

Since mine's a convertible, I go back and forth whether to lock it or not.  A coat hanger can easily pull up my headed door lock knobs or they'll slice my top and just reach in.

I do have a lock bar that goes in between the steering wheel and the brake pedal that I use.  No other preventative measures.  When I've road tripped with it, I like to park it by the office of the hotel or just outside my hotel room window.  I like to look out and make sure it's still there....

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

Texas statutes say that you can, if you act reasonably, use deadly force against someone committing a theft during the nighttime. ... Day or night, you always have the right to use force against the person who's committing the burglary of a motor vehicle.

Kind of cuts down on the appeal here
Greg Surfas

[Highwayman68]

Thanks everyone. I am definitely getting The Club and looking at the mobile app ones also.

The steering wheel can't be locked on it's own so how I park it won't prevent them from straightening out the wheels.
The gear shifter also isn't locked with the key our so again how I park it doesn't matter they can shift it into neutral.

I almost lost this car which I have had since 1981 in a storage facility fire a couple of years ago, this car is not replaceable to me even though I have it fully insured. That was a very dark several weeks for me not knowing the condition of the car until it was safe enough for them to go inside and take pictures which showed the cover still intact.

[cadillacmike68]

I forgot about The Club. Ungainly but you can put it in the trunk when it's not in use.

[cadillacmike68]

After reading this, I think I'll just stick with pulling the coil wire and rotor and turning off my battery negative contacts:

https://freakonomics.com/2010/06/08/what-car-thieves-think-of-the-club/

Besides that I just watched The Sound of Music last nite and saw where the nuns pulled the coil and wires from the nazi staff cars at the end.

It does work!

Climb every mountain!

[Cadillac Jack 82]

My advice is this.  Don't stay or park in areas that are high risk areas.  If you're planning a weekend away research the areas before you leave.

[bcroe]

I just watched The Sound of Music last nite
and saw where the nuns pulled the coil and wires from the nazi staff cars at the end.

THAT is one of my all time favorite movie scenes, the other being when the
BLUES BROTHERS ran the IL Nazis off the bridge.  I have often wondered if
that was really true, or a movie embellishment.  It would have been hard to
get some of that hardware off quickly, but it was necessary to communicate
the event to the audience. 

My 60s car hoods could be opened from the outside, but I did not allow anyone
else to do it.  I installed another gate latch that could just be reached after the
hood was lifted about one finger. 

If your car is to be picked up and carried away, about the only defense is a
hidden car locator.  Least effective might be something a thief can see in
advance, and deal with.  Better is something that only is revealed when
trying to operate the car.  Better yet is something not taking effect until
the car is apparently mobile.  And something not requiring a lot of action
every time by the owner is a lot more likely to be in place. 

All the locks in sight and easy reach have quick defeats.  I tried to tell the
car cos that they needed to go to digital encoded locks remotely located,
but they were more interested in selling cars to replace those stolen.  Now
that digital is here, my patents are long expired. 

One more thing not yet mentioned, it is possible to have the vehicle neatly
etched into the glass panes and a few other places.  Any thief seeing this
knows the car parts value is reduced from profit to a huge liability.  I have
done this to many.  Bruce Roe

[Chris Cummings]

If you take the coil wire with you, remember that a quick-thinking thief can simply substitute the number 1 plug wire and start right up.  He won't worry about a little miss.  I'd pocket the rotor, too.

Chris

[TJ Hopland]

Seems to me that someone targeting classic cars may do some recon and seeing you pop the hood and mess around every time you come and go will give them clues what to look or prepare for.   Same thing if you bend over for some sort of hidden switch.   

And I'm no expert but have heard that if your theft method of choice is a tow truck stealing a tow truck is the first thing on your list of stuff to steal.    Solves the problem of loosing an expensive truck if you have to run for it.

[bcroe]

Seems to me that someone targeting classic cars may do some recon and seeing you pop the hood and mess around every time you come and go will give them clues what to look or prepare for.   Same thing if you bend over for some sort of hidden switch.   

The recon will reveal nothing when a Jacops equipped car is parked, because
the owner does not need to set it.  That happens automatically when the engine
is turned off.  Only after the car is restarted and driven is it necessary to
deactivate the Jacobs, before it stalls you in the street.  Bruce Roe

[76eldo]

You can install a hidden kill switch that will cut off the voltage to the coil.
You can also install a chain lock to keep the hood from being opened.
You can’t stop someone from trying to steal the car but if you slow them down they will walk away in order to not be seen.