Security for your hot rod

[kb426]

You guys should do some research about LOJAC. I think you'll be disappointed at what you find. The wheel lock is similar to the brake lock on a cycle. The only downside to a bike is they carry it off.

[phat rat]

If you look at coverage area for Lojack they are not in every area or even state.  For example it doesn't even show Missouri or Kentucky on the list

[rumrumm]

That is what I was thinking of. I knew I wasn't crazy! Thanks, Frank.

[enjenjo]

That is what I was thinking of. I knew I wasn't crazy! Thanks, Frank.

When I worked for the power company, I installed quite a few of them.

To immobilise a vehicle, or a trailer, might I suggest a boot. You can buy one for under $200, and they require no modification to the car.  You can make some modifications to a standard boot that will make it harder to defeat, and custom pad it to protect your wheels. Being brightly painted, that alone would act as a deterent.  Plus, it can be installed on the car, or the trailer, or both. Heck some of you guys could make your own custom boot.

A cell phone, turned on, and concealed in the car can be tracked. You can wire it into a charger connected to the car battery to make it last longer. Connected to a motion detector, that would alert you to the car moving, it could do double duty. Do it yourself lojack!

[wayne petty]

just ran across this...


http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0710phr_gps_tracking_secuirity_system/index.html

waynes comment. this article is 3 years old.. the product has probably been improved.. or changed..



text from link

GPS Tracking Secuirty System - The GPS Snitch
From the October, 2007 issue of Popular Hot Rodding
By Steven Rupp
Photography by Steven Rupp

It's 2007, and by now many expected us to have warp engines and flying cars. While those predictions from old sci-fi movies haven't panned out, the 21st century is still delivering some cool technology. For instance, take that constellation of satellites known as the Global Positioning System (GPS). Originally launched by the military to track troops and aim bombs with pinpoint accuracy, it's now used for myriad purposes, including knowing where your musclecar is located.



Once a thief makes off with your car, it's highly unlikely you'll ever see it again. Let's face it, there are a million places they could take it and the cops are just too busy to search them all. To you, it's your pride and joy, but to the rest of the world, it's just a car. If you want to avoid being a victim, you need to take matters into your own hands. Alarms, steering wheel locks, and kill switches stop the amateur thief, and at best, slow down the pros, but once they have the car in their possession, those gadgets are useless. Enter the GPS Snitch, a miracle of modern technology that won't stop someone from taking your ride, but will greatly increase your chances of getting it back.


How It Works
The GPS Snitch is a mix of GPS and cellular technology that is designed to be easily hidden in a car or anything else you want to track. This allows the Snitch to provide real-time position tracking over the Internet. Log onto its Web site from a computer or Web-enabled cell phone, and you can see exactly where on the globe the unit is. We asked Yves Carrier of Blackline GPS (the makers of the Snitch) how the tracking process works. He explains: "Whenever your Snitch is online, you can request its location at any time because it's a track-on-demand product. Once the 'locate' button is pressed, our computers generate a wireless communication with a customer's Snitch, requesting its GPS location. The GPS Snitch will then calculate its position and send this information back wirelessly to our computers so that we can show the information in your GPS Snitch account." All of this happens in just a few seconds, and seconds count when someone is making off with your ride. In addition to location, the system also provides altitude, ground speed, and heading.



The Snitch is also small, about the size of a deck of cards. This gives great flexibility where you can stash it in your car. Inside this compact package is a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, a GSM cellular system, a rechargeable battery, a motion sensor, and a circuit board to control it all. The battery can power the Snitch for up to seven days, so once charged, you can simply turn it on, arm it, and hide it in your car. The company also offers a hardwire kit ($14.99) that lets you continuously charge the unit off your car's electrical system. If a scumbag steals your ride and disconnects the car's battery, the Snitch will still rat him out for up to a week. Given the portable nature of the Snitch, you can easily move it from car to car, hiding it virtually anywhere.

At times, you may elect to turn on the unit's perimeter alert function; the unit will automatically track the Snitch every five minutes for two hours in the event your car moves. In this mode, you'll have a record of where your car has been, even if you can't get online right away to track it. It will cost you 24 "tracking credits" (about $1.20), so make sure you disarm this function before you go for a cruise.


Tracking The Snitch
Inside the Snitch is a mechanical motion sensor. If the Snitch (or your car) shakes, the unit will send a "motion alert" to your e-mail. Once the Snitch detects movement, it automatically sets up a GPS perimeter around itself. If the Snitch leaves this security perimeter, a second alert message is sent to you to tell you that your car is on the move. This alert can be sent to two e-mail addresses and text messaged to two cell phones. According to Blackline GPS, the Snitch knows the difference between a simple vibration and actual movement. We took the Fairlane-with the Snitch in it-to lunch. Sure enough, once the Fairlane moved outside the pre-set perimeter, it was tracked every five minutes for two hours. It even caught me heading back to the office

[jaybee]

I don't think there's any doubt about it, based on what I've seen ANYTHING that makes the car a little slower to steal, or makes them have to do a little extra thinking will usually cause them to seek another target.

[wayne petty]

just ran across another article on trailer theft
its 5 or more pages...



http://www.corvettefever.com/techarticles/corp_1006_trailer_security_guide/index.html

[wayne petty]

how about this... electronic actuated parking brakes

http://www.brakeandfrontend.com/Article/67059/the_electronic_parking_brake.aspx

Some of the platforms that have electronic/electric parking brakes include:
• 2001-current Audi A4, A5, A6 and A8;
• 2010 Subaru Legacy and Outback;
• 2002-current BMW 7 Series and 5 series;
• Lincoln LS;
• Jaguar S-Type, XF and XJ;
• 2003-current Volkswagen models; and
• 2009 Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac CTS.

There are two variations of the system

This is an electric caliper the uses a stepper motors not only to actuate the parking brake but also replaces the hydraulic piston.
available. In the more-traditional "cable-pulling" type, an electric motor simply pulls the emergency brake cable rather than a mechanical handle in the cabin. A more complex unit uses two computer-controlled motors attached to the rear brake calipers to activate it.
It is expected that these systems will incorporate other features in the future. Some automakers already have a system where the emergency brake initiates when the car stops and then goes off as soon as the gas pedal is pressed preventing the car from rolling downhill.
To service these systems, it requires a scan tool. Do not try jumping 12 volts to the various pins of the connectors to extend or retract the piston or cables. Chances are you will set a malfunction code and turn on the brake light when the EBCM exercises the unit for the first time. The worst case scenario is that you could damage the unit.


this might be able to lock the wheels on both cars.. and trailers...

[slocrow]

How about a cable stretched through the wheel windows and securely locked. That would slow them down and they'd have to bring their own wheels or a torch....................