Stolen Z?

[Av8ferg]

I know my Z was repossessed by a California based bank on 1989. I have the bank repo sheet. So I think it’s experienced the means of theft.
Defeating theft is pretty easy, you need to focus on the 95% of would be thieves. Covering the last 5% is difficult and expensive. Most thieves don’t want to spend 20 mins trying to steal a car. Anything more than 5 mins becomes risky unless they have a place the car is hidden like a barn or garage that they can work while the owner is away. But for a casual evening out for dinner with the wife you don’t need anything too elaborate. Something as simple as puling out the coil spark plug wire or a discrete coil disconnect switch would stop 98% of the walker-by thieves.
My recently restored 1966 VW was stolen while I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2002. Stolen from a repair shop, was what I was told. Could have been the shop owner..who knows. I never saw the car again, never really got compensated because it was an old car and the insurance company said it was only worth $600. It was worth about $6,000 in reality and would be three times that today.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SteveJ]

6 hours ago, Humbug said:

The replies to this thread I startedhave been interesting. However, they are all sort of theoretical.

No one whose Z was stolen has said how it was done.

Nor has anyone who has thwarted a would-be thief said how it was done.

Someone mentioned the gps trackers. One night, I got home about 10:30 to find two police cars in my driveway. Fortunately, they didn't have their red and blue lights on and, fortunately, I was not drunk..

One of them told me a woman had had her modern mustang stolen from a repair shop a few blocks away from my house, and the gps tracker pointed to my house as the location of the car.  

The police asked to have a looksee into my garages, where they found no mustangs. They seemed sort of blasé about the matter and said those trackers were unreliable.

That was probably four years ago, so maybe the trackers are more accurate now.

Have you thought that maybe our cars have NOT been stolen because we took the steps we suggested to you? 🙄

[Av8ferg]

8 hours ago, Humbug said:

The replies to this thread I startedhave been interesting. However, they are all sort of theoretical.

No one whose Z was stolen has said how it was done.

Nor has anyone who has thwarted a would-be thief said how it was done.

Someone mentioned the gps trackers. One night, I got home about 10:30 to find two police cars in my driveway. Fortunately, they didn't have their red and blue lights on and, fortunately, I was not drunk..

One of them told me a woman had had her modern mustang stolen from a repair shop a few blocks away from my house, and the gps tracker pointed to my house as the location of the car.  

The police asked to have a looksee into my garages, where they found no mustangs. They seemed sort of blasé about the matter and said those trackers were unreliable.

That was probably four years ago, so maybe the trackers are more accurate now.

You say they are theoretical but let’s be honest stealing a Z is no different than stealing any 70’s vehicle.  There isn’t anything particularly unique about the design that makes it stand out from a ease of theft.  So I’m not sure where you are going on this?  It’s not like you’re trying to steal a Tesla or something with a advanced stock anti theft device.  In the 70’s you pretty much had kill switches for the ignition and crude alarms.  It you want to be creative put a cut off valve on a inconspicuous portion on a fuel hose.  Nobody will be looking for that.  Open the hood, turn the valve 90 degrees and walk away.  There are several areas to hide a valve like the in the engine bay.  

[Humbug]

Thank you. That is what I hoped to learn. I think I'l just put a switch to my ignition wire and hide it under the dash. Taking my coil wire off every time I go to a restaurant would be tiresome.

Joe

[ensys]

 

Just one fellows approach begins with "never lock your car, never keep anything worth stealing in it" to deal with the 90% of malicious intent that is routine thievery.

 

For the 10% of hardcore mopery, I have found that diverting the fuel pump power at the bullet connections beneath the carpet under the passenger seat, to a nondescript, unlabeled toggle switch mounted discreetly among the console's switches and warning lights (that little square plate in the middle of the upper tier works very nicely) to be very effective in immobilizing the engine.

 

Plus you don't have to tip your hand to passer-byes nor soil the French cuffs of your tuxedo by muckeling about under the hood.

 

It won't thwart the Flat-Bed Heist, but then, what will.

[Humbug]

Sounds like a great idea. Thanks.

[Av8ferg]

This is pretty funny and somewhat true.  You already have one of the best anti theft devices.