TomoHawk Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 What kind of things are people doing with the 'secret switches' used to increase the difficulty in starting the car? Dissabling Starter circuit? Coil circuit? Can you put switches in there so they have to be turned on in a certain sequence? What else is there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 This thread has been around before and for the most part, people won't tell you what they have done for obvious reasons! I have a friend who mounted a large Allen Bradley, 100 amp industrial key switch in the main electrical feed between the battery and the electrical system to the instrument panel (dash) . When switched off, there is no electricity even close to the steering column that could be used to hot wire the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted May 9, 2003 Author Share Posted May 9, 2003 I was asking for suggestions or some web sites so I could develope a system for myself. The switch mentioned is in the VB catalog, i think. I understand your concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grinsha Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I use the dimmer switch from an old chevy car or truck. It bolts to the floor and most people wouldn't know what its for. Just be careful where you put your feet while driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave240Z Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I actually prefer to use a switch for the fuel pump rather than the ignition. This allows the car to be started and driven slightly at which point it will die, hopefully leaving the would be criminal in a very visible situation forcing them to abandon the car. Of course this only works if you have an electric fuel pump, but it's quite effective. This is mod is quite easy to do as well, since Datsun had the wisdom to include a connector in the wiring harness to allow for an electric fuel pump hookup. All you need to do is put a switch in some hidden location and run the wires to this connector. I'd tell you how I did mine, but then I'd have to kill you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted May 11, 2003 Share Posted May 11, 2003 I actually prefer to use a switch for the fuel pump rather than the ignition...I'd tell you how I did mine, but then I'd have to kill you. That is a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion. Oh, and to the second part of that, the answer is: "Not unless I kill you first!!!" lol Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 Just get a removable steering wheel! J/K Like I mentioned in that post, anyone smart enough will not tell you. One thing I WILL tell you is what I'm contemplating right now is not security once the car is left alone, but how to shut it down once it's been car jacked. Security for an unattended car that is being stolen is pretty easy. But what about being held at gun point and getting jacked while you're in the car and it's running? A secret self-destruct mechanism? Always carry another alarm remote on your person in case someone jacks you at the gas station or in a parking lot? Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 BMW South Africa has factory installed anti-hijack devices below passenger and driver's door sills. Gas powered flame thrower. Very effective, but liability would be an issue in this lawsuit happy Country!! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonfly Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 The best hiding place is in plane sight... with my car I have the switch in plane sight but you would never know it was a switch. As an example in my 260 (which I sent to the scrap yard after a long hard life) I put a small switch inside heater/ac panel and I used the ac on/off lever to toggle the switch on and off, since my car had the ac removed this system worked great. Now with that example of how to disguise a switch its time for you to let your imagination run wild. Dragonfly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 A company called Jacobs Electronics use to make an antitheft box that required you to toggle a switch inside the car within 30 seconds or so of starting the engine. (Something like turning the rear defroster on and off?) If the switch wasn't toggled, it would run the engine for 30 seconds, then start cutting the ignition in and out before killing it altogether. The device even had the option of being connected to the door switch. That way if the door was opened with the engine running, the timer would kick in and kill the engine if the switch was not toggled. Perfect car jacking protection. Just give the guy your car then run like hell for a phone, because he ain't getting very far with it. The good thing about this set up is it let the thief start driving the car before it cut out on him in a way that looked like an engine problem and not an anti theft device. If the engine stalls in the middle of an intersection, most thiefs will just abandon it rather than troubleshoot an ignition problem. The other advantage is attempting to steal a car is only breaking and entering up to the point the car starts to move. Once it moves, then it becomes felony car theft. I got on the Jacobs electronics web site, but they don't seem to offer the anti theft device anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted May 23, 2003 Author Share Posted May 23, 2003 Darn, I removed the microswitch that activates the A/C pump. But I dids think of using a bamk of switches near the heater controls. It would look like ordinary toggle switches like for fog lights, but would be for fuel pump, started, etc., I'm wqorking on away to use switches as a 'combination lock' so they have to be switched on in a dc ertain order to work. Anybody do any research into a "keyring "transponder" type system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted May 24, 2003 Author Share Posted May 24, 2003 Using SPDT switches and diodes, you can create a simple digital "combination lock." Or maybe using DPDT or even totary switches to makes things harder, like the enigma machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Since carjacking is so prevalent in SA, just about every car has an anti hijack alarm/immobilizer. If you don't push a switch within a few seconds of starting, then 30 seconds later the alarms goes off, followed but the complete cutting of electrical power a few seconds later, very similar to what Jim is speaking of. It allows the perp to get away with the car (away from you) before anything happens, that way he doesn't just turn and shoot you on the spot. Very very effective, although when I worked at a tyre shop and the customer forgot to tell us where the switch was, it was a royal PITA! Had to disconnect the battery to stop the danm alarm! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two40 Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 Very very effective' date=' although when I worked at a tyre shop and the customer forgot to tell us where the switch was, it was a royal PITA! Had to disconnect the battery to stop the danm alarm! Tim[/quote'] If that were my car you'd hate me cause cutting the power or any alarm related wire will not stop the siren. Don't you love the digital age? This might interest some of you. Although my security guy told me not to bother with it, I think it is a good idea. http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&A=0059&P=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 If that were my car you'd hate me cause cutting the power or any alarm related wire will not stop the siren. Don't you love the digital age? This might interest some of you. Although my security guy told me not to bother with it' date=' I think it is a good idea. http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&A=0059&P=1[/quote'] Yup! If it's on the net, some thieves were probably the ones who published it in the first place. Then everyone would copy it and they could steal more cars It's a good idea to disguise your switches tho, hey Tomahawk, howabout getting that removable steering wheel, and then rigging it so the car won't start without the wheel? PS Anyone have pix or a weblink to that flame thrower alarm, I saw it like 5 years ago and have never been able to find it since. Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted May 28, 2003 Author Share Posted May 28, 2003 How about getting that removable steering wheel, and then rigging it so the car won't start without the wheel? That's a definite possibility, man. the Grant system has a 2-wire horn connection in it, so you can use one for the horn and the other for the (starter interupter?) the horn goes to ground, so I think you would need to do the same for the starter interrupt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zrl Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 custom buld a ECU that take finger print, secret code, or eye scaning to activate the ecu; also, don't forget to custom build all the critical sensors, or add resistance or something to the existing wires as part of your ECU customization. So even the ECU is swapped, the car still won't function. OR, tap all the ECU wires with relays, or swiths, or with a chip that requies your secrect activation. Another fun way is to add a circuit to kill the fuel and/or sparks whenever the engine is on for 10 seconds or so when the engine is operating without your authorization. or, put a solenoid to dis-engage the clutch or put the transmission in neutral when engine is operating without your authorization. there are tons ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted June 22, 2003 Author Share Posted June 22, 2003 Ok, zrl, The point was to make it simple, in the style of the 25-to-30 year-old car that it is, yet be functional. Did they have eye scanners 30 years ago? Fingerprint scanners? I don't think so. Even if you could hide a scanner someplace, it would show when you operated the car. I'm in favor of a transponder key chip or ring thing. It can be hidden in the column shroud, and the most difference you would see is the fatter key. Anybody know of a transponder key system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zrl Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 The point was to make it simple' date=' in the style of the 25-to-30 year-old car that it is, yet be functional. Did they have eye scanners 30 years ago? Fingerprint scanners? I don't think so. Even if you could hide a scanner someplace, it would show when you operated the car. [/quote'] your don't need to hide anything, it's just like a computer, without the correct code or identification, the ECU will not function and you can not bypass it. depending on the transponder key system's setup, if it's integrated into the ECU module, you can swap the ECU; if it's a separate circuit, you can bypass the circuit. Or you can obtain key code by scaning (hacking). [just some ideas to defeat those systems] if you want it simple, I suggest disabling the fuel pump, it's easy and simple; or, if your car is EFI, you can disable the power supply to the fuel injectors; disable the starter is too obvious and can be easily bypass, but you can put a housing around the starter, so in order take off the housing, the whole starter has to be taken off. another easy way is to find the power ground (or positive power supply if you would like) to the ECU, then put in a remote swith. I suggest this to be a wirelless control switch if you don't want the turn-on-switch to be found in side the car. there are some relays you can put your thoughts into, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted June 22, 2003 Author Share Posted June 22, 2003 OK.... Since you know so much about ECUs, tell us which one to use. And yes, you would need to hide it, or it will show, and there aren't a lot of places under the cramp Z car dash to put something like a control box or control unit. The same thing with an eye scanner or fingerprint scanner. The only one (fingerprint scanner) I've seen was bigger than a pack of cigarrettes. That's why the switches are a good idea; they blend in with what's there and you'd only need a wire or two to make it work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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