Well, here is a bit of good news for a change!  Scott has his Z back!

 

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/23/owner-reunited-with-his-bluebird-a-stolen-vintage-sports-car.html

 

Great!!!!  Glad to see he got the car back again !!

Hey guys,

 

Our local Z club - OntZCar, had the spring swap meet today at Whitehead Performance, the shop that is doing the insurance work on Scott's 240Z.  Scott was there and his car, he spent the whole morning surrounded by guys shaking his hand and being congratulated. I doubt he had time to look through the tables of Z parts he was kept so busy.

I'm sure our minor celebrity wouldn't mind if I give you a bit more detail of the story.

 

Apparently, as far as Scott and the cops can figure the thieves never even got the engine running.

They smashed the D/S rear window, opened the car, smashed the ignition off the column (bending the

steering column). Then put it on a trailer and stored it somewhere.

Scott started his media blitz campaign, and had half the continent keeping an eye open for it,

the thieves, realizing the Z was far too hot to handle, backed the trailer into a field and rolled the car off.

It sat there for a couple weeks they think before eagle eyed Cody spotted it.

Scott says the odometer is right where it was when he parked the car in storage.

The cops lifted some prints, so who knows.

 

The car doesn't look too bad, some broken glass on the deck behind the seats, steering column banged

up, a chip off the corner of the front spook and a few paint scratches. The engine bay needs detailing

as a bit of rust started on the corners of things from sitting in a wet field. Insurance is going to cover it all.

 

I forgot to take my camera this morning but lots of images were being taken so I'm sure someone will post a few.

It was a very good day.

Chris

 

Admin Mike, I love the green ANSWERED stamp at the top of the thread,

very clever.

Edited April 25, 20159 yr by grannyknot

I was there to see the car and I was just in "awe" not even thinking of taking a photo in respect to Scott. Glad to see you Chris and especially giving some of your spare parts to puts his Z back on the road.

Edited April 26, 20159 yr by 240Ziggy

What awesome news!  Congratulations, Scott!  Woohoo!

 

I hope they catch the rat!

 

Captain, I use the same defeat strategy on our boat lift.  My concern is that someone could flip switches to run the lift, and then leave.  The lift would then destroy itself and possibly part of the dock with it.  So it doesn't run unless you plug in the dongle.

 

My Z uses a different defeat strategy that I won't discuss with anyone (or else the secret would be out there).  However, this dongle strategy is an idea that can be shared.  Every dongle would be wired differently, and just knowing the defeat strategy would not help a thief.

We've done that. Got excited and left before flipping the lift switch. Ran all the way up and pulled through the ceiling. Put safety cut offs on the lifting cables.

That really sucks, that is a nice car. I understand your reward completely.

 

I know this is too late now, but perhaps for others. A fuel cut off switch at the tank works great. Sure they steal your car but only get 6 blocks and it dies. they can't restart and then bail. 

You get your car back with some break in damage and a hot wire, but you still have your car. 

 

They would have to be top notch thieves if they come and tow truck your car away. Thats serious planning!!

 

I wish you the best of luck in the recovery Scott.

 

Remove a few spark plug wires, and the wire from the coil to the dizzy...   Thieves won't have a set of those when they break in to your car..

Every dongle would be wired differently, and just knowing the defeat strategy would not help a thief.

 

Exactly. Even if you had a meter with you and knew what you were looking for, you're not going to defeat it quickly.

 

I've in the past done things like pulled the coil wire off and put it in a pocket. Better than nothing, but I don't consider it very effective. If I were in the car stealing mood, I'd just use one of the plug wires instead and accept the misfire on one cylinder.

 

Anyway, I guess we should consider this thread a warning to keep an eye on our Z's!!

I've in the past done things like pulled the coil wire off and put it in a pocket. Better than nothing, but I don't consider it very effective. If I were in the car stealing mood, I'd just use one of the plug wires instead and accept the misfire on one cylinder.

Take just a little more time, open the distributor cap and pocket the rotor.

Yeah, you're right. That would certainly be more secure. All comes down to how dirty I can afford to get and how much time I have. I would much rather have something inside the interior that performs the defeat. Popping the hood when I park the car is really a pain. Attracts attention at times when you don't want the attention.
 

Congratulations Scott, I am so happy for you.

I am new on the list with questions about fixing my '76 280Z. I have an original 240, HLS30 11,904 (Redwing), that I used to have nightmares of someone stealing her. I put 256,000 miles on her, mostly in Miami where car theft was rampant.

That's awesome news Scott. So glad you got your car back.

 

I'm going to be making some " Disable " modifications to my Z ASAP.

Yeah, you're right. That would certainly be more secure. All comes down to how dirty I can afford to get and how much time I have. I would much rather have something inside the interior that performs the defeat. Popping the hood when I park the car is really a pain. Attracts attention at times when you don't want the attention.

 

For a Z with an ammeter, re-route one of the alternator wires through the glove box to a single pole Maxi Fuse holder. Use an 80A fuse in it. When you park, open the glove box and remove the fuse. You could pretty much do the same on the white/red wire going to the ignition switch. On the 280Z, you could interrupt it near the firewall connector C9.