TheSamba.com :: View topic - best way to prevent a bus from being stolen?

Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:06 pm

does anyone know the best way to prevent a bus from being stolen? shift lock? club?

Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:08 pm

Hidden kill switch.

Pull the coil to distributor wire.

Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:16 pm

eth727 wrote: does anyone know the best way to prevent a bus from being stolen? shift lock? club?

Best way is to move to Michigan. :wink:

Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:26 pm

what if the thief brings his own coil wire?

Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:31 pm

eth727 wrote: what if the thief brings his own coil wire?

Then the thief is someone you thought was your friend!

Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:35 pm

there are many different anti-theft devices. any of them can be disabled by a skilled thief inside a few minutes at most. the more of them that you use, the more likely the thief will choose to steal another bus and leave yours alone.

a half starved rabid pit-bull helps also.

Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:37 pm

Lock it, club it, pull the coil wire, lock the engine hatch,cross your fingers and say a prayer :lol: parking it inside at night helps too.

Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:41 pm

Dont paint it... nobody wants to steal junk!

:lol:

J/k

Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:50 pm

Slowlow wrote: Dont paint it... nobody wants to steal junk!

:lol:

J/k

Shit, thats the best method listed yet.

Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:54 pm

Don't paint it ?? Then isn't that an OG paint job,, making it worth even more .. :shock: :roll:

Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:05 pm

towd wrote: Don't paint it ?? Then isn't that an OG paint job,, making it worth even more .. :shock: :roll:

Not to a theives eyes! Especially if its patina'd they would think it was a rusty pile.

Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:18 pm

if i'm parked somewhere really weird i just pull the rotor and put it in my pocket. You can't go anywhere without the rotor... 8)

Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:22 pm

just leave the keys in it, they will think its a set up and leave it alone.

Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:23 pm

my65vert wrote: just leave the keys in it, they will think its a set up and leave it alone.

haha, Thats what I usually do.... of course my bus is the only split bus within a 40 mile radius, it would be easy to find.

:lol:

Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:41 pm

i remember in the late 90s i saw at least one 21/23 in california either la or sd,but they had a chain around the front beam padlocked to a telephone pole or streetlight.

Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:45 pm

^^^ha :lol:

get it so low that they cant drive it down the road

Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:12 pm

orangebug60guy wrote: if i'm parked somewhere really weird i just pull the rotor and put it in my pocket. You can't go anywhere without the rotor... 8)

That's good.
I have gone one step further and built a false coil wire out of vacuum tube. It looks just like the real coil wire I have in my pocket if I'm concerned about theft. My thinking is that if the bus won't start for a thief, it would be an easy diagnosis if a coil wire or rotor is missing. If it looks complete, they have no idea what is keeping the bus from starting.
Of course, Lind is right, the best you can do is make your bus more difficult to steal than the next one - it can never be theft proof.

Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:21 pm

something nifty is installing a hidden magnetic reed switch somewhere on the vehicle inline with the ignition (with proper relay of course). you activate it by holding a magnet (maybe on your key chain) over the hidden switch and then starting the car. probably give someone a hell of a time trying to start it, and if they know about these switches, i doubt they would scour the dash area or other areas with a magnetic for a minute or so, i would figure that's a minute too long for a car thief? and who just carries a magnet on them? maybe i don't want and answer to that :shock:
here's an interesting article i found when i googled it
http://www.mr2.com/TEXT/IgnitionKillSwitch.html

Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:21 pm

A flatbed tow truck trumps all these ideas.

Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:33 pm

TimGud wrote: A flatbed tow truck trumps all these ideas.
GPS tracking trumps flatbed towtruck.

a shifter lock and a steering lock make it a little harder for a tow-away theft. bolting something to your bottom tube of the beam will protect against a towbar.

a ziplock baggie full of spent shell casings left on your dashtray will scare the bejeezus out of a thief. an NRA sticker helps also.