Securing Aux. Lights (1 Viewer)

[Biff]

How do you guys secure your aux. lights? I just bought a pair of Lightforce and am afraid they are going to be stolen.

 

[mot]

I think I have seen special nuts(?) that require matching key-like wrench/screw driver(?) thingie to install/uninstall. Sorry I'm a little vague!

If no one does post pics of this I will try to look around and post pic(s) later.

Mot

 

[lx450landcruiser]

if u wanna go super cheap jsut drill some hols through the bottom of the bolt part and pup in a couple locks through it

 

[thekirk]

Expedition Exchange at:

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/

Look at the following item:

https://www.expeditionexchange.com/barrinut/

At $19.00, these seem like cheap insurance. I plan on putting them on my IPF and PIAA lights, as soon as the income tax check comes in. May have to find new bolts, though...

 

[concretejungle]

Thanks for the link kirk. Those are trick. i'll have to give them a shot also.

 

[KliersLC]

I favor a shotgun........









and a can of bondo to fill in those pesky little holes left by the shot..............













Dan

 

[80and100cruisers]

I have considered having the nut welded to the bolt, has anyone done this?

-Matt

 

[mot]

Yeah, I was thinking of the same thing/type that thekirk was thinking (I couldn't find a pic).

BTW, thekirk, what type of IPF's and PIAA's do you have and how do you like them? Hope you don't mind my asking?

Mot

 

[thekirk]

Mot--The PIAA are a set of the basic black 520s with the driving beam setup. The IPF are what the previous owner put on, and I'm not sure, but I think the model # is S6313 (gold fog lens). I wound up wiring them temporarily with the PIAA switch and relay system, after I tore out the PO's setup. I had a spare set laying around the house, so I used it, and have two PIAA switches on the dash. I've got the PIAA lights mounted in the ARB standard light tabs, and the IPF fogs up in the bolt holes above the winch fairlead bracket. The whole thing works, but Slee is going to be getting a bunch of my money for the upgraded wiring harness and factory switches. Those Barrinuts are going on about the same time that happens... I really don't like making things easy on thieves.

So far, they're doing what I want them to, but they haven't really gotten acid-tested, yet. No serious weather, yet, this year, or a need to go driving in it.

 

[mot]

thekirk,

Thanks for the info.

I think the Barrinuts set-up would make me feel a little more comfortable, too, although as with everything else, there's not much we could do to stop them if they really wanted to take them (blow torch?)

Hopefully that won't ever happen.

Thanks again!

Mot

 

[ginericLC]

Where are you guys parking that you are worried about somebody stealing your lights? Do you not have garages?

 

[SR.GRINGO]

locktite works well. I did this with a lock nut---I live in Mexico and so far they are still on...... As mentioned above you could also tack the bolt with a welder....

 

[thekirk]

Eric... Not all of us have the fortune to live in nice nieghborhoods. My apartment complex isn't too bad, but it does have its issues. That "urban element" thing, ya know? Plus, what few available garages they have seem to have been constructed with something like a Miata, or a Yugo in mind--if I could get one of them, I seriously doubt I could even open my doors, once I got the rig in there.

I'm trying to figure out how to add in a super-sensitive motion sensor and a paging alarm, to the factory system. With that, plus the 12-gauge, I figure the locking nuts will delay them long enough for me to wake up, figure out what's going on, and go out and deal with it. Meanwhile, I just trust in the fates... Them, and State Farm...

 

[mot]

... With that, plus the 12-gauge, I figure the locking nuts will delay them long enough for me to wake up, figure out what's going on, and go out and deal with it.

Remind me not to go trick or treating at your place.

 

[macneill]

Both my IPFs and PIAAs came with optional locks that you need a "key" to unlock.

I too live in a place with the "Urban Element."

 

[mot]

Do they all come with same locks/keys?

 

[thekirk]

Hey, Mot... so long as you're not out by the truck with a wrench, you're ok. If you were to identify yourself, you might even get invited in for a beer, or two...

macniell--the PIAA locking nuts don't work all that well, I found. Issue is that the ones I got had the flat sides, so they could get a Vise-Grip on there. When my '90 Truck (could Toyota have used *less* imagination, coming up with that name, for the US market?) got stolen, they didn't stop the thieves more than a few minutes. Of course, they were working with a full set of tools (mine...) and had plenty of time while they stripped the truck. I do have to admit that they did take the brush guard that the lights were mounted to, anyway, but leaving the stripped lock nuts in the back of the bed was just a little insulting, ya know? The spherical shape of the Barri-nut looks like it might be less apt to have this happen.

This might be why I tend to take a dim view of car thieves. And, as a public service announcement--CHANGE YOUR LOCK CORES EVERY 5 YEARS. Especially on early-to-mid '90s Toyotas. The older locks wear, and become incredibly easy to get past. The guy at the impound yard got into my truck, and started it, using a Honda key. No joke. I watched him do it--didn't take that much effort, either. Very sickening feeling, watching that, realizing that the locks on a piece of $8100.00 mobile property weren't worth a damn.

I do wonder, from that whole incident--is car theft not a problem in Japan? Why didn't Toyota put in a better lock system? Are the Japanese that law-abiding, in Japan, that you don't need more than about five different key patterns for the early nineties? I swear, I've seen people (since the theft) get into Toyotas, using keys from other Toyotas, about a dozen times. Helped out one guy, myself--Tried my key, and it fit.

Did I just hijack this thread?

 

[mot]

I do wonder, from that whole incident--is car theft not a problem in Japan? Why didn't Toyota put in a better lock system? Are the Japanese that law-abiding, in Japan, that you don't need more than about five different key patterns for the early nineties? I swear, I've seen people (since the theft) get into Toyotas, using keys from other Toyotas, about a dozen times. Helped out one guy, myself--Tried my key, and it fit.

Yes, it's a problem, although not a huge one, unless you own newer Land Cruisers! It seems like that if thieves want them badl(ly) enough they can get anything.

I believe that they use the flat key (?) nowadays which supposedly is safer, but don't know how long they've been using them.

I think that a lot of Japanese people are nice, honest, but many of them (including me, of course ) would break the law if we think we can get away with it. I'm not talking about murder here.


I hear on the 80 site here of them being stolen somewhat on regular basis. It kind of surprises me because although it's a cool rig it's not exactly that new, but thieves are still stealing them. I'll post a pic of the latest victim (if I don't forget before posting this).

I hear that in some cases organized crimes are involved, some with foreigners (Chinese, etc...). I also hear that many of the stolen vehicles get shipped out to Dubai and go all over the globe, including the UK. I've heard of stories that in some cases owners do find their vehicles in the UK, but it would be too cost prohibitive to ship them back to Japan, so they just leave them there (Don't know how exactly it works with the insurance industry).

Anyway... I think that Toyota made vehicles usually occupy the majority of the top 10 stolen vehicles list. I'm not sure if Toyota should be proud of it (for their popularity among thieves) or ashamed of it (for not making their vehicles more thief deterrent(sp)).

Anyway...

Later,

Mot

Did I just hijack this thread?

[edit]

Well, you kind of own this thread if the majority rule applies because of the number of replies/posts you've made in this thread. So maybe that makes it OK.

 

[Beowulf]

I have considered having the nut welded to the bolt, has anyone done this?

-Matt

JB Weld would do the same with less hassle. You could use a dremel or a grinder if you ever needed to remove the lights.

-B-

 

[Critter]

I rode around with my Hella Rallye 4000s for years with no trouble. Esp with an ARB because most theives aren't going to have an extension long enough to get to the nut, atleast that is the way it was on my Tacoma.

The "locking" nuts are your best bet though.