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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just a suggestion…but, how about investing in a Quickjack…raise the car up on the lift and disconnect the hydraulic pump.
I’m surprised no one mentioned having a classic with a “wild” paint color. Mine is Flame Orange and if someone steels it they better get it inside a garage pretty quick. Whenever I take it out I get texts from friends that say they saw me from half a mile away.
My batter box is in trunk. So, I added a heavy-duty cutoff switch to the negative side. But, instead of the negative side totally disconnected, it has an inline 30 amp fuse. That way I can use my key fob and the radio doesn’t lose memory. If someone tries to start the car the fuse will blow and all power is off. Only one problem. You got to remember to turn it back on before you start the car! 😂
I remember my Mom hearing something outside near Dads car. (we lived in a rural area). Dad grabbed his 12 gauge and a couple shells without turning on any lights and went out the door. Seeing a figure in the dark running across the lawn he took a shot. He said they seemed to pick up speed and cleared the fence cleanly. We never lost any more car parts or gas after that. We had a good laugh later when Dad looked at the spent shell it was birdshot but the other one he had grabbed in the dark was a slug. Lucky thief
Something you can do to deter theft of everyone’s car – support politicians and prosecutors who will punish thieves and carjackers to the full extent of the law.
I love reading through the comments and there is such good thought provoking ideas. Out of all the comment, I like this one the best. Accountability.
Second comment I like is the one about birdshot.
Car cover battery disconnect and apple air tag the car cover can throw them off. Is there something wrong with the car is it dead why is it sitting under a cover? If they get in crack the column and try to start it. It won’t start so hopefully they move on if not the air tag comes into play and then I come into play I hope they go out robbing with a vest on cuz they’re gunna need it!
In my car club EVERY car stolen was parked OUTSIDE in the same location every day. NOT ONE vehicle parked in a garage has ever been stolen. One car was parked in a Corvair mechanics lot with a locked gate. They cut the gate lock an the car was gone. A keen club member spotted a the cars Corvair door on Craig’s list (unique color). The police were notified and it took them THREE days to raid the place. Car was cut up for parts and most of it was GONE! The thief only got “possession of stolen property” a minor charge. Turns out the thief was part of a old car gang the joined car clubs to find cars to steal and chop up. Unless caught in the act, stealing old cars is not a risky business. Bottom line — keep your old car in a garage, not parked in the driveway or street everyday. Don’t leave it at a known old car repair shop sitting outside at night.
I knew that someone would mention bolt cutting the steering wheel to overpower the “club”. Advise from a beat cop tells me that this is not common but the word or rumor is out. The Club is one more hassle that makes the opportunity their move on to the next victim. With that said; to make it even more difficult, place both ends of the Club straddling a steering wheel intersection. This makes it even more difficult as it would involve more and thicker cutting.
There’s only two people who know how to start my car. One is me. The other is not you. Also, as a towing and transportation operator for 30 years I can tell you that with enough effort, time, and drawing attention, any car can be dragged up on my truck. Even if it means we have to send 3 trucks so we can grab the two that are blocking it in first. But the bottom line is make yours harder to steal so that they pick an easier target.
On my ’74 FJ40 I have 7 types of theft deterrent ranging from very simple ($7 club from goodwill) to very sneaky (cut offs and shut offs). An external deterrent that I use is a padlocked 30′ G75 hardened log chain that I loop around the front axle to a garage steel beam wall support – I literally chain it to the garage. A couple years ago, it took me 20 minutes to figure out why I couldn’t get that thing running for my first spring outing. I forgot about one of the battery disconnects. HAHA
I like the idea of the Denver boot very much. I will use that on my theft worthy cars.
Spent my first wedding anniversary in 1975 driving from Atlanta to Miami to retrieve my stolen ’66 Ford Fairlane (that I bought new and still have). The gas gauge has always read about a quarter of a tank more than it really has – yep, they ran it out of gas and left it on the side of the freeway. Put gas in it and drove it back home. Never did fix that gauge!
After reading the commentary, I am surprised at the attack on the generational humor, tells me the writer of the humor may have touched a nerve on the responder.
Before I work on teaching a person to be a better driver in a manual vehicle, I want them to be a better driver in a small automatic vehicle. Once that milestone has been reached, then advanced driving lessons are the next step.
As for theft deterrence, nothing will stop a determined thief. Your only hope is to make it take to long to steal so the thief moves onto an easier target.
Question for Hagerty, what are the theft statistics among classic/ desirable vehicles?
Yup. Even the best deterrent is no good if you forget to use it. I had (I say HAD) a ’66 Mustang get stolen, and i saw it drive away. I had a long day at work, and had to park in our open bay parking space, behind my girlfriend’s ’65 Mustang. In my car, I had removed the cigarette lighter from the pull-out ashtray and replaced it with a push-pull kill switch. It looked just like the lighter! except that day, I forgot to switch it. I suppose I kept her car from being the target.
Do not reveal your security system to anyone else, including anyone who comes to look at the car if you offer it for sale. Wait until you have cash in hand or the check clears.
There have been instances where someone asks to see the car but is really trying to learn if it can be stolen.
Davis is absolutely right, lost 2 cars years ago, one was even parallel parked at the curb, they just pulled it out from the curb & towed it away with a wrecker. One had a brake lock devise, foot operated push switch under the carpet, sneaky right, didn’t matter, a good thief knows how to circumvent all that stuff. Best deterent, at home in a locked garage, or within eyesight, if your out with your special vehicle.