Michel Higuet Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 Unless you live in a country inhabited only by gentlemen, respectful of the property of others What means have you come to mind to protect your TR apart from the use of a Colt Python or Smith&Wesson cal 30? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
charlie74 Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 A battery quick connect with the little knob you can take with you and a fuel shut-off valve but neither one of those will stop someone with a flat bed and a winch… Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 Apart from some form of immobiliser/ wheel clamp there's not much you can do really. A soft-top gives no protection at all against entry. One of the best measures against casual theft is the fly-off handbrake on sidescreen cars - it even fools MoT testers. If a professional wants the car it will soon be hoisted inside a truck whatever method you use. I have come to the conclusion that car alarms are pretty useless. False alarms are so common that no-one takes notice any more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 (edited) ..A Shot gun cartridge in the drivers seat cushion? Having recently bought a cordless angle grinder I have concluded not a lot of lock on anti theft devices would delay the determined thief. Edited October 4, 2023 by BlueTR3A-5EKT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 Hi Pete, Consider the villains ar** hole. Rectum - well it didn't do them any good Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michel Higuet Posted October 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, RobH said: Apart from some form of immobiliser/ wheel clamp there's not much you can do really. A soft-top gives no protection at all against entry. One of the best measures against casual theft is the fly-off handbrake on sidescreen cars - it even fools MoT testers. If a professional wants the car it will soon be hoisted inside a truck whatever method you use. I have come to the conclusion that car alarms are pretty useless. False alarms are so common that no-one takes notice any more. I never heard about the fly-off handbrake... Ok I supposed it was a a special mechanism to lock the parking brakes... :-) Removing the distributor head can help but you need to open the engine cover. Even Gps tracker can be fooled. If they come in your soft-top only to eat their sandwich it is not so bad... Edited October 4, 2023 by Michel Higuet Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 A fly-off handbrake works the opposite way round to a conventional lever. You push the button to lock the brakes, not to release them. To release you just pull the lever back slightly and then let it 'fly' forwards. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel C Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 3 hours ago, RogerH said: Hi Pete, Consider the villains ar** hole. Rectum - well it didn't do them any good Roger didn't he live in Wrexham Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AndyR100 Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 cheap n cheerful sim card-based tracker hidden wherever you fancy - gives you a sporting chance of locating the vehicle after its been nicked. As mentioned earlier, not much will stop a flat-bed and a winch. ...... Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 15 hours ago, AndyR100 said: cheap n cheerful sim card-based tracker hidden wherever you fancy - gives you a sporting chance of locating the vehicle after its been nicked. As mentioned earlier, not much will stop a flat-bed and a winch. ...... Andy No good once its in a shipping container though. No signal. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
monty Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 I am afraid one has to be very careful where we leave a TR unattended, whatever devices we may have for our cars. I have a battery disconnect, hidden fuel cut-off & a couple of steering wheel lock devices but I still worry about where I leave it. I get a little paranoid to be honest & I am always checking it at car shows or cafe stops etc! The World we live in I am sorry to say. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikej Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 Well, Trackers are various and selecting the best technology to defeat a Farady cage van is important. I won't say which one I use but price is not the key attribute MJ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michel Higuet Posted October 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 3 hours ago, stuart said: No good once its in a shipping container though. No signal. Stuart. Yes but when out and in the street of Bamako no problem... :-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AndyR100 Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 3 hours ago, stuart said: No good once its in a shipping container though. No signal. Stuart. Agreed - if someone is fully committed to the theft we are unlikely to see the vehicle returned, but it could help for the less professional tealeaves. …….. Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michel Higuet Posted October 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 23 minutes ago, AndyR100 said: Agreed - if someone is fully committed to the theft we are unlikely to see the vehicle returned, but it could help for the less professional tealeaves. …….. Andy Sometime naive and lucky... My son “some idiots last night moved and left my Golf in the middle of the street!” Me: “That has nothing to do with the hidden switch that we installed together?” A colleague "Leaving the supermarket, some idiots had fun detaching my trailer and left it in the middle of the passage..." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith1948 Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 Some modern cars lock on all the brakes for various situations like a minor bump and rescue companies then have great difficulty towing them away or loading onto a trailer for repair. Maybe a device to lock on all the brakes might be a deterrent. Don't know how this could be done on a TR but I guess some of the more technical readers in our midst could advise or may even have done this themselves. Or maybe a great big capacitor wired up to the battery and a couple of wires to the drivers seat. Keith Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 1 minute ago, keith1948 said: Maybe a device to lock on all the brakes might be a deterrent. Nothing that you couldn't defeat quickly by cutting the brake pipes. Messy but effective. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trevor Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 I have a sim bases tracker , but always still use the trusty Krook-lock on the steering wheel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel C Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 Loving this "Or maybe a great big capacitor wired up to the battery and a couple of wires to the drivers seat." and the shot gun cartridge as back up! As for locking all the brake on, very easy these days thanks to the dragstrip boys. My neighbour has a line lock fitted on his front brakes so he can "warm up" the rear tyres on the stirp. All you would have to do is fit it to the main line for all four to operate. Its a small in-line solenoid with a switch on the dash which you could put anywhere. Saying that I don't fancy the pressure in the system for all that length of time (I'd probably have a puddle in each corner with mine ) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
North London Mike Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 Couple of thoughts, if they are after YOUR car (vin/ model type) then they have to know where it is. So, most likely at home in your garage, they'll drag it out with a truck However, if at a show, IWE etc, then it's an opportunist looking to steal a TR, and all you have to do is make yours harder to steal than the next guys TR Finally, if you're away touring, nobody knows you're there, you're probably OK. The local guys are after a modern golf or similar and would not know what to do with a 50/60yr old car................I've parked LNK all over Europe, no problem ...........and remember some days even the owners can't start them Ps. In your local group ask about car theft. In the North London Group, only one car stolen in the last 20 years, from a car show, driven out, it was parked oof down, doors locked but no anti theft devices (and finally, make sure you have agreed value) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel C Posted October 6, 2023 Report Share Posted October 6, 2023 all good points Mike, I think the percentage of stolen cars to the amount on the road/shows/display and head home with their owners must be very low, you only get to hear about the ones nicked, and no one posts " had another great day out and my car didn't get stolen". Perhaps there's a little bit of Daily Mail influence in the wind? I've parked mine all over the place, some of them very dodgy (industrial units/loading bay at the Rotunnda/NEC/Olympia/Back streets of Beckton and throughout the year in the last 80,000+ miles but do have a fixed roof. And I guess "they" really don't know what it is so they'll move on. The only report I have of one of "ours" being stolen was in the early 60's when everyone's key fitted and they knew how a fly-off handbrake worked Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trchris Posted October 6, 2023 Report Share Posted October 6, 2023 With the amount of cordless tools available grinders/drills etc it doesn’t matter what you fit l have a transponder type immobiliser fitted just to stop the passing thieves but if it goes it goes the insurance will cover it l certainly don’t worry about where l leave its certainly not going to ruin my day l just enjoy it whilst I own it Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith1948 Posted October 6, 2023 Report Share Posted October 6, 2023 I have a crook lock style lock for my TR which I use. I did look at the type that fits over the handbrake lever and gear lever but no good for the TR because the gear knob unscrews so easy to remove that one. I remember hearing about a driver in Manchester who thought he could fool the thieves by removing the steering wheel of his classic mini (some years ago now). The car was stolen and found some time later with no steering wheel still but with a wrench clamped onto the steering column. So if you have a steering wheel lock make sure you can't just take the steering wheel off. As Chris has just posted, if they are determined then very difficult to stop them. Hidden devices probably best bet. I was going to suggest maybe a lockable bonnet lock but from the many reports of the bonnet jamming closed then maybe we don't need one of them! Keith Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted October 6, 2023 Report Share Posted October 6, 2023 The ultimate deterrent - RUST They want bother with a rusty funmobile. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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