January 15,2014 I posted a thread "Pro Street Car On California Roads" and finally located a 70 Chevy Camaro currently being put together. The seller is an avid drag racer, engine builder and has a regular full time job, so my build will be somewhat slow.


I realize that it will be a car that I'll always have to have an eye on & be close to when parked entailing some past anti theft practices but am very interested if anyone has installed any GPS locater and their recommendation of a brand.
I'm leaning toward a self powered unit that can be put anywhere on the car and will still work if the battery is disconnected.



Any other recommendation for anti theft deterrents other than the above question are very welcomed,too.


Thank you

 

Never used a GPS locator, but with the modern phone apps I've heard some people hiding a cheap phone somewhere in their car that has prepaid minutes. Then if the car gets stolen they can activate the app to find their phone and get the car located.
I have several antitheft devices on my cars that can be applied to any vehicle. First I have battery disconnect switches on all my cars, with removable keys, so I take them with me when parked. I have a 1 a. fused lead to keep the radio memory ahead of the switches, but everything else is dead when removed. I also have a hidden kill switch that grounds the ignition system so the coils wont fire. Mine all have MSD boxes, so it was esy to tie in, but a similar switch can simply open power to the coil on a old style distributor ignition. I have electric fuel pumps on two of them, so I have a hidden fuel pump switch on those two. I have some form of hidden lock on each hood too. On my '69 suburban it's simply a padlock hidden behind the front bumper and a chain to lock the hood shut. The other two have tilt frontends, so they have hidden latches that would probably confuse a thief, even if they saw me reach in to open them. Finally I have car alarms on all three, so they also tie in ahead of the battery disconnect also.
It takes a bit of a process to turn each thing on when they're all off, but I don't do all of them each time I stop or park. If I'm just stopping for a short time, or I'll be close, I simply pull the battery disconnect and hit the alarm. If it's overnight I set all the systems to protect them fully.
I'm a bit paranoid after having three cars stolen over the years. So I can't get enough theft deterrent now.

 

I haven't used GPS location either, but I plan on it when I get my build done a few years down the road. I do have an alarm system on my truck though (no GPS, I didn't even think of it.) It has the RFID system on the key, so that you can't start it without the RFID chip in the key. The alarm has a battery backup, and will go off if you disconnect the battery. Even if the truck is already turned on. The one thing I do need to do is find a way to lock the hood down. If you pull the fuse, the alarm is disarmed completely. I've had to do it a couple times due to issues on with it. One was a manufacturer error, and the other happened randomly when I went mudding a week ago. I will say, the alarm has saved it from being broken into at least once already. I have a small dent just above the driver's door to prove it...unfortunately...

I wouldn't want to go with just an alarm when my car is done. Not without some way of disabling the car, as 1977 has done. An alarm alone will deter a thief from breaking in, but it won't deter a car thief that wants to take it that bad. All they have to do is disconnect the battery to disable the main. If there is a battery backup, pull the fuse and that is done. It would take less then 2 mins, and your vehicle would be gone. If you are going to put something in your vehicle to disable it, make sure to hide it in a place no one would think to look. If you put it under the seat, they're going to look there. Same with center console, glove box, ect. If you make it so that it takes more then 5 to 10 mins to find, they will move on. It isn't worth their time, and that raises the chance of being caught.

 

I added the chain and padlock to my '69 Suburban after someone tried to steal it last year. They opened the hood and the alarm chirped to warn them. Then they simply pulled the battery cable, but as it was removed the alarm system started to go into alarm as they were twisting the positive cable to pull it. They got it off, but the squawk of the alarm spooked them and they ran off. I came out to see what was going on and saw my hood open and the battery cable off. That really scared me, and I decided I better find a way to keep them from trying again. I was amazed that they would see the alarm stickers, and the blinking alarm light on the dash, and still try to get past it. Thieves are either stupid, or very brave, or both!

 

That's why I went with the battery backup, but as I said, it has the flaw of pulling the fuses to disarm.