Looking up some Technological ideas for the off season. I like the idea of being able to walk up to my truck and have it unlock within a certain range and a push start module like in newer vehicles. Kinda like my dodge work truck. There are many companies out there but I would like to have a setup that is fairly factory looking, as per having the start button in the same location as the key cylinder.

Whatcha think?

 

Back when I was in my engineering class's a couple years ago one of the student put something like this in his car. He used an Arduino board to control it all. He had RF sensors in each door of the car and a coded RF tag on his keychain. If the car was off and you got within 10 feet of it the security system deactivated and the doors unlocked. Once inside the system reverted to letting the security system control the locks. When the car was shutoff and he got more than 10 feet from it the doors would lock and the alarm would activate. He didn't have the push button start though.

 

What do I think? It's stuff like that that keeps me driving '90s vintage trucks. I like manual transmissions, manual shift transfer cases, manual hubs. I get a little soft when it comes to power windows, but only because I can only reach one of the four doors (I'd prefer a manual crank on the driver's door). The last thing I would want to add to my truck would be a remote system like that.

But the question isn't what I think, it's what you think. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it if you want to. Just that I wouldn't.

 

I just like the discussion point of it. Modern conviences in our OBS.

 

It's up to you but personally I don't like remote start units. Once the engine lights off their job is done and most of the time everything is gonna be just fine. It's the rare "other" times that makes me dislike them. For example when I had my F-250. I got in it one morning to go to work, fired it up, eyeballed the gauges as I always do and headed out. A block away I see my oil gauge in the red. Shut the engine down and coast into a gas station... oil leaking everywhere with nothing left on the dipstick. Down here the only use for a remote starter is to let the a/c cool the cab down. Had I started the truck remotely, it could have been idling for a while as I got ready for work. Not a good situation, and not something a remote start unit would have known about.

Just as well, I saw a post on here in the last couple days where someone started their truck and had an immediate overvoltage condition. Don't think any remote starter would have given a damn, at least not until/unless it fried.

I prefer manual transmission, transfer case, and hubs too, but I do like power windows and having a decent radio that can accept USB memory sticks and stream bluetooth audio as well. It's mix and match with a tendency towards old school for me. But only you can decide what's right for you!

EDIT: also, since you asked... I like power locks but not keyless entry. Neither the keychain remote or the numeric buttons on the door... both are useless junk to me.

 

I'm thinking of putting a hand crank on my 460...

 

Hand cranks are great. Don't forget to replace your distributor with an impulse-type magneto. That way you can start her right up even with a dead battery.
Or even NO battery, for that matter.

 

Not gonna lie... I love my power windows and locks and my keyless entry and remote start... If actually like to have a toggle switch push button start on the ol girl but I don't wanna go through the work for it lol

 

I did find this,
http://www.digitalguarddawg.com