With Victors' 'experience' fresh in our minds and the fact that this year after an extensive rebuild I'll get MY 240 on the road, what can be done to protect (and deter to the best ability) the theft of our 240Zs ?

I'm talking about when we're out on a run, not when the car is locked up at night, in it's machine gun nested garage with a dust cover and centrale heating !

Of course if someone suggests parking it in a minefield...

I've been told that immobolisers dont work on old cars because it is to easy to run a screwdriver across the poles on the starter motor. But if you are running a Z with an electric fuel pump (my 260 has an electric pump but I am not sure about 240s) you just put in some form of cut off switch and your Z will go nowhere.

It will only delay a profesional thief a few seconds until he finds the switch (clue here is to hide it well) but a joy ridder is going to think they have stollen an old piece of junk and find something else to drive. Plus a determined thief will steal your car no matter what security you have.

Hi Sean,

You could route the wire to the ignition coil through an additional switch, may be marked fog lamps or hazards. So the car wouldn´t start.

You could also fit a removable steering wheel boss & hide the steering wheel under your pillow !

I already thought of fitting a removeable hub but what would I do if some git nicked just my steering wheel - a Nardi so it's going to be attractive ? Anyway, I've heard of people driving away with a pair of monkey grips on the column !

The cut out is a good idea and is in hand, what I'm looking for is something visible, to deter the wallys from smashing in, only to find out that they can't steal it easily and bust it up as revenge !

Alarms ?

Handbrake locks ?

Stering wheel locks?

Others ?

Flashing LEDs are a good deterent. They dont have to be conected to anything other than a 9v battery which will last for years. Put on some stickers and they will think it was alarmed.

I have a imoboliser/alarm fitted with the LED in the centre dash and motion censors on eather side but do I believe it will stop a determined thief? No.

I will think about a fuel cut off when I finish fixing it but that is not going to stop someone putting it on the back of a flat bed truck and driving off with it.

Hi Sean,

Driving a Z with a pair of molegrips would be a fairly heavy experience, but some twits will do anything !

I´ve seen a steering wheel immobilizer here in Spain. It is a device which fits to the steeing making it impossible to turn the wheel. They are painted in flourescent yellow so deter the amateur car thief. I still like the idea of an alarm which starts once the thief has open up the car. It should have a really loud siren, enough to damage the b******ds ear drums ROFL

If you´re serious about it you could leave a big vicious dog in the car & if that doesn´t work you can always leave your mother in law in the passenger seat !

If your mother in law isn´t ´orrible enough I can always lend mine !

Mine's too nice - she'd probably hand over the keys ! My mother's the bitch or I'll take your m-in law but don't let me near your wife to grass on you !

Seriously, c'mon guys and gals, what tricks are best or are you afraid that the bogeyman's on this forum just waiting to know how to break into your car ?

I need some help please !

If it can happen to Victor, it can happen to any of us and no matter if it's an early or late car, they're becoming desirable (financially speaking) and of course they look great and so catch the eye of the casual joy-rider !

What you could do is modify your handbrake to be a "fly off" handbrake. This is uses mainly on rally cars so that you can apply the handbrake to help the car round on a tight corner. What you do is change / modify the teeth so that you have to push the "release" button to make the handbrake stay on . The thief when he tries to drive off would pull up the handbrake also pushing the "release button" but would be unable to release the handbrake. To let off the handbrake you just have to pull up the handbrake without pushing the "release button" to let off the handbrake. If you would like to see how it works in practice have a quick look at an MGA !

I´ll have a look at my handbrake to see if it is possible.

Hi Sean,

Please send me your postal address so that I can send you my mother in law !

Dear Heath Robinson,

I regret to inform you that Cathy would be likely to spin off the road if the car was loaded with a contraption like that !

ps no COD for mother in laws !