Theft proof help

[Calfdemon]

For locking down hood I came up with a clean easy solution. I bought a thick plastic covered cable from a store...was around 6 ' long with a small loop on each end. Like the type they use for bikes but longer. I run it through the hood on the front center. The underside of the hood has to large holes there. When I close the hood the cable end drop down in front of the radiator (right behind the grill). The cable ends can then squeeze through the passage between the bottom of the radiator and what ever the metal piece running across is called. Just enough so I can tie the two end together with a large Master hardened padlock. Works great and is not visible.

Can you post some pictures? I cannot picture this without thinking it would be visible through the grille. I am running a 70-72 style grille with the LMC billet inserts, and then to top it off, I have an AC condenser in front of the radiator which limits my available space. I also have everything blacked out behind the silver of the grille. So unless I was able to find a black cable, I would think it would show up just due to the contrast. But again, any pictures would be helpful.

[BobbyFord]

There are many GPS anti-theft tracking devices available for just about any budget.

[fitzwell]

Used a Painless remote master disconnect with a latching solenoid. Triggered it off a small switch that was accessable when i put the key in the dash, so as to avoid abnormal motion that would give away the switch location. Added bonus, interrupt the ground side of the circuit. You can run jumper wires 'til the cows come home, but if the ground side of the circuit isn't there......

[Mancar1]

Also have a hood lock.

[69timemachine]

With some creative under hood wire looming, you could interrupt the negative coil wire, running it into the interior to a hidden switch, then back to the distributor. As long as that switch is off, thieves can jumper the + side of the coil and screwdriver the solenoid til the battery dies or the starter melts, but it won't start. The trick is to do a good inconspicuous job on the wire loom under the hood and hide the switch very well on the interior!

[69timemachine]

Coming up with a way to lock the hood is good for keeping your battery or carburetor from getting stolen, or even the whole truck. A possibility is to figure out a way to attach a cable to the current latch, but cut off the current handle part. The other end of the cable could be hidden behind the bumper, in the fender well, under the cab, under the core support, etc. If they can't find the pull handle, then it's hard to get the hood open!

[Heirloom]

I have considered hood security and the chain/wire rope/pad lock conundrum. One thing I will probably look more into is discreetly install a tubular cam lock or two either right into the hood or somehow into the hood release and fabricate a striker/latch system. So it will either lock the hood release, or it will keep the hood down even if they try to pop it. I have not looked at it seriously enough to have a ready solution though.

Here's a link to the lock style I'm talking about.

http://www.americanlock.com/other_secur ... _locks.jsp

[duaneo]

I spent a couple of hours looking at it and thinking about it, and I couldn't come up with a good place to insert a pin into the latch assembly to lock down the hood. I picked up a thick cable lock at harbor freight, but I haven't yet determined where to run it to keep the hood locked down. I'll post some pictures when I sort that out.

In the meantime, here's a picture of my disklok, and unbrakeable lock installed:



and here is a photo of a kill-switch relay I picked up on amazon for ~$10



Cheers,
Duane

[Ranchero50]

I think the next thingy on my list is going to be a gas cap cable. Someone loosened mine when it was sitting on the street and it flew off while driving last week. I have a locking cap on it now, just don't like the looks and I'm not too worried about someone stealing diesel out of it as none of the local white trash own diesel trucks.

[390bump]

Clean and easy...

[Calfdemon]

I like it! Not sure if I could fit it with my AC Condenser there, but I would try. You say that the ends of the cable squeeze between the front of the radiator and the metal thing (lower valance??) and at that point, you attach them together with a lock. What secures it down there though? Do you have it going around a bar of some sort? I would think it would need to go to one side and wrap around one of the frame rails so that no one could open the hood and force it up. Otherwise, the only thing keeping the hood from opening is the fact that the lock is between the radiator and lower valance? If that is the case, the lower valance is not very strong and any pull by a would be thief would cause damage to the valance and the lock would pull through. I do like the principle though and unless I am picturing it wrong in my head, I would probably get a longer cable or move it so that I could secure it around the frame on one side...

The trick would be to find a black cable that length though. Hmmm... Any chance you could measure it for an exact length? I can probably find a cable online and order it, but just want to make sure I don't order one too short that it wont reach, or too long that the lock drags on the ground.

Thanks for the pictures!! That is probably the best hood lock solution I have seen yet for our trucks.

EDIT: Upon further thought (my truck is not in front of me), are you talking about the center support bar that runs down the center behind the grille from the upper valance and hood latch receiver to the radiator support? If that is the metal, that might be a good wrap-around spot at the low point as it is bolted to the radiator support which is very strong.

I found a bunch of different ones on Amazon by searching "black cable lock". I ask for what size you have because I found cables in 4 foot, 6 foot, 8 foot, 10 foot, 12 foot, and 15 foot all pretty much under $20. I know you said yours is around 6 feet, but just want to make sure. Thanks again!

[390bump]

Get a 6' by 3/8" like this master lock: http://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-78DPF ... B00004Y8CX

use a hardened steel lock:


I also have an alarm but this setup will slow someone down who wants to open hood and try to bypass alarm and hot wire it...

I put that tie wrap there to help stop the lock from moving around while driving and hitting the radiator. There is even a hole there to loop the tie wrap through!