Yeah. The rep was very specific... They don't insure cars for driving (except the infrequent drive around town)... They insure value of collectibles... "Road trips" alone would have denied me... "Off-road" just made me more deniable.
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Yeah. The rep was very specific... They don't insure cars for driving (except the infrequent drive around town)... They insure value of collectibles... "Road trips" alone would have denied me... "Off-road" just made me more deniable.
I had an old chevy truck with a hill holder in it - but it worked via a cable to a valve on the brake line. I've never seen one since, all that is out there is those chinese valves... I have one, I didn't install it because I frankly don't trust it.
As for line locks letting go, I can see it - my line lock leaks... though with that said, the should hold if the other circuit is the one with a leak in it.
And to be a bit pedantic, unless you have a line lock on both front and rear lines, it will only lock 1/2 the wheels. If you're in 4wd, then sure, it'll lock at least one more wheel... but I get your point, and it's valid.... just don't want Mace coming in here and pointing out I missed the caveat
I'm really only interested from a theft deterrent perspective... It seems perfectively viable for that.
The whole issue with the Jaymar style valve is it has an internal release spring - when you step on the brakes and exceed the pressure on the output side of the valve it will release itself . Also , if it loses more than about 10% of the pressure it's being locked at it will also release . I routed the lines on the Sami to a spot just ahead of the seat and installed two of them - all 4 were locked and it only sat there for less than 2 minutes before it took off with zero load on the brake system . That truck was possessed anyway , I swear at times it was trying to get even with me for treating it the way I did and using it as a dual-purpose daily driver to boot . After switching to the 2 stainless steel ball valves (rated for 5500psi) it never had that issue again and was regularly left overnight with all 4 wheels locked up .
Now, if anyone gets the bright idea to try this - be warned as there are some oddities to be aware of ....
First , using ball valves means the system is locked shut when the valves are closed , totally without question . If , for some reason you have either of those valves closed and try to drive it - no brakes . I mean , the brake pedal will not move at all , like the piston is stuck in the master cylinder won't move . I don't care if a gorilla stomps on that pedal - the master cylinder and booster is not capable of pushing fluid past a closed ball valve , period . So , if it sits and the system bleeds down for some reason (like a slowly leaking wheel cylinder/caliper) and you take off - no brakes . I had it happen once when I left the rears locked , it leaked down over night and I went to back out of the driveway at 4am - hitting the huge maple tree that got in the way . Just a bit too tired to do the pre-drive check of those valves - I had the handles oriented so they stuck out towards the pedals , sort of in the way of the foot well purposely to get attention when they were in the closed position ..
The benefit was I could load the brakes very hard and lock both those valves , holding all 4 wheels locked tight . It would pretty easily hold the truck in place when winching without having to hold the brake pedal while trying to hold the engine it higher revs to provide the needed amperage for the winch . It also meant the thing was basically pretty dangerous for anyone but myself to drive - almost no one could ever guess what the heck those heavy duty looking valves were there for - I always told them it was for dual fuel tanks , lol .
In short , it's really no recommended . Best system to use is a Mico lock in either the electric or one of their cable operated setups - they are very well engineered and designed for commercial trucks . The engineering company I worked for years ago had them on their large bucket trucks for doing aerial cable/phone work on poles and they worked great , as long as the rest of the brake system is properly maintained .
Brake Locks | MICO, Inc.
The cable brake lock mentioned as a hill holder on the old Chevy was probably one of the aftermarket kits made back in the day - I saw a few of them used by farmers when I worked in the diesel shop years ago . One of the old kits just used a simple cable to actuate a trailer tongue-actuated hydraulic lock-out valve designed to allow backing of a tongue brake system up a hill , just reversed . Not a bad idea but very few of those setups had a separate lock-out valve . Mico has a cable actuated setup that is very well built - some heavy duty trucks back in the day had no park provision in the Allison automatics - the park function was one of Mico's cable systems mounted on the floor next to the shifter .
Hope this helps - if anyone wants to build something like this I'd stick to a commercially-approved setup to avoid any liability issues...lol .
Sarge
Now, if anyone gets the bright idea to try this - be warned as there are some oddities to be aware of ....
First , using ball valves means the system is locked shut when the valves are closed , totally without question . If , for some reason you have either of those valves closed and try to drive it - no brakes . I mean , the brake pedal will not move at all , like the piston is stuck in the master cylinder won't move . I don't care if a gorilla stomps on that pedal - the master cylinder and booster is not capable of pushing fluid past a closed ball valve , period . So , if it sits and the system bleeds down for some reason (like a slowly leaking wheel cylinder/caliper) and you take off - no brakes . I had it happen once when I left the rears locked , it leaked down over night and I went to back out of the driveway at 4am - hitting the huge maple tree that got in the way . Just a bit too tired to do the pre-drive check of those valves - I had the handles oriented so they stuck out towards the pedals , sort of in the way of the foot well purposely to get attention when they were in the closed position ..
The benefit was I could load the brakes very hard and lock both those valves , holding all 4 wheels locked tight . It would pretty easily hold the truck in place when winching without having to hold the brake pedal while trying to hold the engine it higher revs to provide the needed amperage for the winch . It also meant the thing was basically pretty dangerous for anyone but myself to drive - almost no one could ever guess what the heck those heavy duty looking valves were there for - I always told them it was for dual fuel tanks , lol .
In short , it's really no recommended . Best system to use is a Mico lock in either the electric or one of their cable operated setups - they are very well engineered and designed for commercial trucks . The engineering company I worked for years ago had them on their large bucket trucks for doing aerial cable/phone work on poles and they worked great , as long as the rest of the brake system is properly maintained .
Brake Locks | MICO, Inc.
The cable brake lock mentioned as a hill holder on the old Chevy was probably one of the aftermarket kits made back in the day - I saw a few of them used by farmers when I worked in the diesel shop years ago . One of the old kits just used a simple cable to actuate a trailer tongue-actuated hydraulic lock-out valve designed to allow backing of a tongue brake system up a hill , just reversed . Not a bad idea but very few of those setups had a separate lock-out valve . Mico has a cable actuated setup that is very well built - some heavy duty trucks back in the day had no park provision in the Allison automatics - the park function was one of Mico's cable systems mounted on the floor next to the shifter .
Hope this helps - if anyone wants to build something like this I'd stick to a commercially-approved setup to avoid any liability issues...lol .
Sarge
Thanks for the explanation Sarge!! I now understand your concern.
I'd not recommend any of these in place of a well maintained E-Brake... Quality would be a concern. I'd want one with a lever that keeps it locked till released.
With the E-Brake and 4 disc brakes all locked it would be less likely to move than just the drum which is marginal at best.
I'd definitely not want one that'll release if the pressure drops a bit.
The next option would be a second set of calipers mounted to the rear discs which is cable actuated.
With the E-Brake and 4 disc brakes all locked it would be less likely to move than just the drum which is marginal at best.
I'd definitely not want one that'll release if the pressure drops a bit.
The next option would be a second set of calipers mounted to the rear discs which is cable actuated.
I got a mechanical line lock valve and installed it, for security reasons. It works good for short term (couple hours?) use. I've tried it for overnight, and the pressure will slowly bleed back and release the brakes.
Don
Don
I like this idea of a hydraulic brake lock...has anyone implemented this?
Wouldn't it be cool to have an e-brake handle with a lock in the face (of the handle), so that after you firmly set the e-brake, you turn the key and the handle just spins around and around - unable to release the parking brake?
This would require a lot of engineering, but would be a non-hydraulic way to lock the brakes and make the truck a lot harder to move.
This would require a lot of engineering, but would be a non-hydraulic way to lock the brakes and make the truck a lot harder to move.
This would require a properly functioning parking brake...
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Steering wheel locks can be defeated in about 60 seconds. They just cut the steering wheel.
True. Any lock can be defeated. The chain above looks to be meant for high visibility. As a back up, a disabling switch could be added. Of course that could be defeated with a tow truck.
I saw this movie with Nicolas Cage once- it even had nitrous....
I'm wondering what they would be carrying around with them to cut the steering wheel that wouldn't be able to go through a parking brake cable?
And, I have a DUI distributor and Aisin carb, that's two hot wires straight off the battery and a third to momentarily jump the starter, and any kill switch didn't kill anything....
I think it's all about deterrent and delaying the actual theft. Manual gearbox is a deterrent, kill switch is a delay. Locking devices are a deterrent and delay. A park brake lever not hooked up and an ebrake with a hidden switch is a delay. Sure, a smart thief will eventually be able to steal any vehicle. I just want it to take a while for the thief figure out how to steal mine, and hopefully that delay will prevent it
So that’s a secondary master cylinder with an actuator? Any concern with it failing? Looks like a descent alternative to the drum on the back of the xcase.
edit: i did a little more research and realized it actually uses the parking brake, just eliminates the handle. Are you running 60 axles with or did you hook it up to the xcase drum?
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I'm not trying to bash any ideas. I think when it comes to security on a fj40, security issues should be given the same level of attention as the other modifications done and maybe a bit further. A chain around the wheel is a deterrent, but I would recommend going further. Which it sounds like may have already been done. Careful about what's posted on a public forum too.
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It’s now getting cost effective to make a gps tracking type device for leaving on the vehicle. Has anyone had experience with hiding a tracker. I’ve seen posts about it but never dove into the tech. Not something on my radar but maybe could help someone. I seem to remember people hiding old iPhones in them or something a few years back. Then use find my iPhone if stolen
I was just ribbing you, didn’t mean any offense. It’s all good input. To be fair I don’t worry to much about theft where I live, but when I travel I always get caught off guard by the feeling of defenseless, topples cruiser. Th electric e brake is interesting to me, but I’m always worried about complicating things any more than I already have.
Ebrake actuator to
Yup, 60 axles. It was a little bit challenging to fit it, but so far it works great. With it engaged the park brake is really solid