security options
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New User
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 16
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From: Phoenix, AZ
security options
Here is a general question I would love people's opinions on. What is the best way to secure my truck against theft and what are the realistic chances of it being stolen? My 62 F100 has a frozen lock on the passenger side I plan to replace. I do drive it to work so it spends several hours in parking lots. I'm not too worried about joy riders snatching it. Doubt there are too many juvenile delinquents who would deal with the difficult start, the warm up period and the 3 on the tree manual transmission. Is there enough of a market for these old trucks to make them targets for more sophisticated thieves? If so, what are my options to protect it? I've heard people advocate a hidden kill switch, a switch on the fuel line, a club on the steering wheel.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
First thought NO. If it is a $20,000.00 resto maybe. A bigger concern might be getting into an accident and having to rebuild it.
Old Ford trucks are most valuable to old Ford truck owners.
Try Shooting WD40 into the lock and working the key in & out then easy left to right. You might get it freed up again.
John
Old Ford trucks are most valuable to old Ford truck owners.
Try Shooting WD40 into the lock and working the key in & out then easy left to right. You might get it freed up again.
John
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 413
Likes: 0
I had a speaker wire once saved my Ford van from being stolen. I wanted to put a kill switch in it but had not gotten to it. In the meantime, I twisted on a piece of speaker wire on to the neg side of the coil (same one that goes to the distributor) and grounded the other end to the engine cover latch. The would be thief was caught in the van by the police my neighbor called. He had popped the door lock, bent the steering to breach the 'crook-lock' that went between the steering and brake pedal and had popped the ignition. My neighbor heard the cranking and called the cops.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,385
Likes: 26
From: placer county usa?
Here is a general question I would love people's opinions on. What is the best way to secure my truck against theft and what are the realistic chances of it being stolen? My 62 F100 has a frozen lock on the passenger side I plan to replace. I do drive it to work so it spends several hours in parking lots. I'm not too worried about joy riders snatching it. Doubt there are too many juvenile delinquents who would deal with the difficult start, the warm up period and the 3 on the tree manual transmission. Is there enough of a market for these old trucks to make them targets for more sophisticated thieves? If so, what are my options to protect it? I've heard people advocate a hidden kill switch, a switch on the fuel line, a club on the steering wheel.
You know a running truck there is worth a lot more Than in Az
It does not cost a theft any thing to steal it
Roy
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 413
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The implication that a thief would steal it to take to Mexico for sale as a 'running truck' sounds illogical to me. Seems there are more 1980s, 1990s and 2000s that are crossing the border legally, making those years easier to cross without attracting much attention. There are probably more trucks of those years to pick from and steal in AZ too.
Besides, there are plenty of thieves here in the US that the OP can benefit from the Security Options that were requested.
Besides, there are plenty of thieves here in the US that the OP can benefit from the Security Options that were requested.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 4,385
Likes: 26
From: placer county usa?
The implication that a thief would steal it to take to Mexico for sale as a 'running truck' sounds illogical to me. Seems there are more 1980s, 1990s and 2000s that are crossing the border legally, making those years easier to cross without attracting much attention. There are probably more trucks of those years to pick from and steal in AZ too.
Besides, there are plenty of thieves here in the US that the OP can benefit from the Security Options that were requested.
Besides, there are plenty of thieves here in the US that the OP can benefit from the Security Options that were requested.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,389
Likes: 58
If a serious thief wants to get it, he will get it. There's not a whole lot you can do.
A hidden switch and even stock 3 on the tree can prevent the wannabe punks from getting it - they'll never figure out how to shift the automatic.
The best thing to do, if you do anything, is to tell no one what you did. That way only you know. A serious thief is going to search obvious places, like the internet, to find out how to break in. If you post what you did, it is no longer secure.
In regard to the door lock, my passenger side would not lock. When I got it apart, a rod was bent, probably by a hamfisted previous owner. Everything moved around just fine.
A hidden switch and even stock 3 on the tree can prevent the wannabe punks from getting it - they'll never figure out how to shift the automatic.
The best thing to do, if you do anything, is to tell no one what you did. That way only you know. A serious thief is going to search obvious places, like the internet, to find out how to break in. If you post what you did, it is no longer secure.
In regard to the door lock, my passenger side would not lock. When I got it apart, a rod was bent, probably by a hamfisted previous owner. Everything moved around just fine.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,182
Likes: 1
like my dad says... "locks are for honest people".
they won't stop a thief.
a 3-on-the-tree will stop a 20-year-old punk, but i don't think there's anything you can do to stop somebody who knows how these things are wired.
they won't stop a thief.
a 3-on-the-tree will stop a 20-year-old punk, but i don't think there's anything you can do to stop somebody who knows how these things are wired.
Thread Starter
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New User
Joined: Jul 2012
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From: Phoenix, AZ
Thanks for all the great feedback. Very educational. The chance of any of your "stuff" getting stolen is related both to how valuable your "stuff" is to other people and how inconvenient you make it for them to take said "stuff". I mostly wanted to get an idea of other people's experience in what the market is for stolen 50 year old fords. I guess I will play with the lock some. I thought I would just order a replacement from LMC.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,785
Likes: 4
From: Mddl A MexCans
Locks use graphite as a lube, which WD40 will remove... so get some if it does free up.
Here's my security device. Even came with an (apparently broken) remote control.
Seriously, about most likely scenario is someone planning to salvage it outa state as the steel prices have made the easy road folks pretty bold. I sometimes just remove the rotor from dist, or even switch coil and spark plug lead at cap. Most crooks are flippin stupid and would pass in a sec when hotwire plan fails. And frankly, those alarms.... there are plenty going off for no reason already taking up an immense amount of owner personal time to reset. JMO
Here's my security device. Even came with an (apparently broken) remote control.
Seriously, about most likely scenario is someone planning to salvage it outa state as the steel prices have made the easy road folks pretty bold. I sometimes just remove the rotor from dist, or even switch coil and spark plug lead at cap. Most crooks are flippin stupid and would pass in a sec when hotwire plan fails. And frankly, those alarms.... there are plenty going off for no reason already taking up an immense amount of owner personal time to reset. JMO
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,670
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They will take ANYTHING if they want it bad enough. I was working in San Jose a few yrs back. Working a few floors up, you have no idea how your baby is doing. I went to go home at the end of the day, only to find someone had stolen my seats and console out of my 65'. :O( Didn't take my camera and other stuff on the floor, just seats and console. They took exactly what they wanted. My truck was in a very large parking lot and no one saw anything. NO ONE wants to see anything any more. 
Try driving home on one of those plastic milk crates...
Try driving home on one of those plastic milk crates...