Make shift kill switch?

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73 Duster 360

73 Duster 360

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I know there are alot of threads about the various ways to install a kill switch for anti theft purposes and that they almost all involve cutting off power to the vehicle. I was wondering if there was another option.

The other day I was driving and the rubber vacuum caps on my break master cylinder popped off which left me with basically no breaks. Thankfully I had replacement plugs in my glove box.

But it got me thinking about vacuum and how even the smallest leak can wreck havock. That got me wondering if there is a vacuum hose or cap that a driver could pop the hood and remove before parking their car which could stop your run of the mill thief from driving away with your car.

Like is there a vacuum port on the carburetor that if disconnected would keep the car from starting or make it idle so rough that they couldn't get it out of the driveway? Could be an interesting way to thwart would be criminals without a ton of modifications. Maybe a small release valve in the middle of a vacuum hose that could be turned to create a vacuum leak but would look pretty inconspicuous to the uninformed.

Maybe this is a dumb question, I really don't know. I rebuilt a carburetor one time in my 20s and my dad helped a lot, without really explaining much so my knowledge is pretty barebones.

But what do you guys think? I know a manual transmission is typically enough to stop the dumbest of thieves and that a truly determined crook will just tow it away but something like this to stop those in-between cases would be nice.
 
In my opinion- this not the answer. Lack of vacuum at the booster means you still have brakes but must press the pedal very hard and an engine air leak means that the engine still starts and runs but very badly. I am more in favor of locking him in the car and taking his picture.
 
Kill switches are a good idea until the thieves bring a trailer.
 
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A56 said:
Kill switches are a good idea until the thieves bring a trailer
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This is about it. There's a hundred ways of doing this depending on the car and it's systems
If you have a tach already wired, or even if you don't, and IF you have a 'switched" type ignition, such as breaker points, Mopar ECU, GM HEI, etc, you can just add a simple switch to ground the coil NEG

If you have MSD look it up. I believe you switch a ground to the white wire

If you have an electric pump, break the pump relay coil

All this can be done with small, minimal wiring and a simple switch. Put the switch "somewhere," IE under the corner of the seat, etc, they are not going to waste much time

Figure out a way to lock the hook (LOL EDIT the HOOD)

If you have a trunk mount battery, and can build a "pushrod" deactivated switch, use a sleeve and a rod, telescoped. A push turns it off, you have to open the trunk to re-engage.

You can also "pull" a disconnect with a bicycle shift cable--you can buy those in bulk

If you have slot mags, get some plastic covered chain, lock through the spokes and around a rear leaf
 
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Open the hood, take the cap off the distributor and remove the rotor.
 
As 67dart273 said the simplest way is to ground the negitave side of the coil.

So simple. It could be switched with a magnet or even some type of proximity electrical device like modern car keys that have a chip in them
 
.......And some guys used to advocate using the lighter as a kill switch, ground
 
Another thought was to incorporate the high beam switch. Would require a additional momentary switch that would work in series with the NSS. You have to press the highbeam switch to crank the engine
 
73 Duster 360 said:
I know there are alot of threads about the various ways to install a kill switch for anti theft purposes and that they almost all involve cutting off power to the vehicle. I was wondering if there was another option.

The other day I was driving and the rubber vacuum caps on my break master cylinder popped off which left me with basically no breaks. Thankfully I had replacement plugs in my glove box.

But it got me thinking about vacuum and how even the smallest leak can wreck havock. That got me wondering if there is a vacuum hose or cap that a driver could pop the hood and remove before parking their car which could stop your run of the mill thief from driving away with your car.

Like is there a vacuum port on the carburetor that if disconnected would keep the car from starting or make it idle so rough that they couldn't get it out of the driveway? Could be an interesting way to thwart would be criminals without a ton of modifications. Maybe a small release valve in the middle of a vacuum hose that could be turned to create a vacuum leak but would look pretty inconspicuous to the uninformed.

Maybe this is a dumb question, I really don't know. I rebuilt a carburetor one time in my 20s and my dad helped a lot, without really explaining much so my knowledge is pretty barebones.

But what do you guys think? I know a manual transmission is typically enough to stop the dumbest of thieves and that a truly determined crook will just tow it away but something like this to stop those in-between cases would be nice.
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I'd just take the coil wire off.

Yes you could do many other things that are way more complicated, but who the hell is carrying around a coil wire? If they want your car, they will have a trailer.
 
On my car, I ground one of the p/up wires with a little switch.
 
Soon after I arrived at NAS Miramar, spring of 70, I made friends with a guy who I remained friends until his death. At the time he was young and going to engineering classes. Brand new K20 Chev 2500. Ignition switch IN THE DASH. He put together a little circuit that required a particular letter be sent --in Morse- via the brake pedal, I think "C" (Dah di dah dit) If you did not do that it would not start. I don't know if it worked, but the truck never got stolen!!

He lived in Paradise Hills, near National City. It was not quite as ghetto then as it is now
 
shittyslant6 said:
I'd just take the coil wire off.
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Seems pretty inconvenient to have pop the hood every time you park the car and then again when you come back. Works fine for a car that is only a toy, but if you want to use it as a daily and run errands or travel I could see that being a pain.

To the OP, I would bet that introducing a vacuum leak to keep the car from starting would only be marginally successful. I've driven my car after a backfire popped a large vacuum cap off and while it didn't drive well, if I gave it enough throttle it would run. It would probably slow them down, and might even cause them to give up, but not sure. Either way, an electrical disconnect is easier to hide, but even then if there is power under the hood a couple of feet of wire and quarter is enough to get it running assuming there isn't a fuel disconnect as well.

The reality is, all you can do is increase the chance that the car will be there when you come back. Nothing is perfect.
 
I never really thought it through, but always wondered about a pressure switch under the seat in combination with a line lock mechanism. The pressure switch would attempt to prevent start ups or a running condition while seated and the line lock (even if they got the car started ) would prevent the car from rolling. That in and of itself would hinder loading onto a trailer. I actually thought of these two ideas for my Harley until I found out about four burly fella's loading a stolen Harley using straps and two four foot poles at Daytona.
 
A56 said:
I never really thought it through, but always wondered about a pressure switch under the seat in combination with a line lock mechanism. The pressure switch would attempt to prevent start ups and the line lock (even if they got the car started ) would prevent the car from rolling. That in and of itself would hinder loading onto a trailer. I actually thought of these two ideas for my Harley until I found out about four burly fella's loading a stolen Harley using straps and two four foot poles.
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Wouldn't a line lock be an electrical drain?

How about a electric e-brake? The newer cars seem to be using them more and more. Maybe even just on one side. Hide the switch to engage and disengage it and it would be like loading a barn find with one wheel locked up.
 
DionR said:
Wouldn't a line lock be an electrical drain?

How about a electric e-brake? The newer cars seem to be using them more and more. Maybe even just on one side. Hide the switch to engage and disengage it and it would be like loading a barn find with one wheel locked up.
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Like I said, I didn't think it through but I'm sure with today's technology the draw wouldn't be more than a clock.
 
70chall440 said:
I use a shop with locked doors.... :rofl:
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You should read up on the original 70 440-6 Cuda that was stolen for 13 years...........

This was stolen out of a locked building and lost for some 13 years. It "showed up" after the original owner received "no payment" letter from a storage outfit, but by the time he beat down there it was gone. Bear in mind this was a "mistake" as the original owner DID NOT have it stored there, this was coming from the present "obtainer." But now the owner had "found" his car. The car had been "bought" (no title) from a mysterious person by one Lee Sitton. The Portland area cops could not seem to find any charges that would "stick." Meanwhile Sitton had STRIPPED THE CAR to the body shell and hid or gotten rid of many of the parts trying to claim he had bought it "as is". BEAR IN MIND this was an original car except for headers, etc, but otherwise "survivor" and the ORIGINAL OWNER. What he got back was a stripped body and some parts. Volunteers in the Portland area got it together, but I'm not sure how much is still "original", plus some damage from the stripping operations.

LEE SITTON CAR COLLECTOR AND THIEF

A "small thread" on the subject

stolen Cuda found,cops refuse to get it back

Videos

https://www.youtube.com/user/BIGHEADODY/videos



Rick White, the rightful and original owner, thumps home with me. He's about my age, and believe he's not what most of us would call "rich."
 
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I leave my car unlocked wherever I go, sometimes with the windows down. I'd rather allow someone to rummage thru it and find nothing, than to first break a window.
If someone really wants it, they'll take it.
but for opportunists, there at least 4 anti-thefts on it.
One of them has already been mentioned right here on FABO, namely; that my ignition coil is mounted on the apron by the passenger side shock-tower, with a coil wire that needs to be about 30 inches long.
 
oldkimmer said:
Even if we believe Sitton bought it in good faith he still bought a stolen car. Kim
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Even if he bought it in good faith originally, he stripped it to try and hide it. The other thing is, the mysterious "bill of sale" seller was never pushed forwards. If YOU ended up holding that bag, wouldn't you be the first in line to "out" the party who put you there? I'd be screamin at the top of my lungs.
 
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