What do you do to prevent your FJ40 and it's contents from getting stolen? (1 Viewer)

[Joe Link]

I've set the wheels in motion to purchase my first FJ40 today. I'll know for sure on Tuesday if I get it. It's 99% done but I don't wanna celebrate until it's sittin out front

Anyway, I want to know what you guys do to keep your FJ40 and it's contents stolen. I live in an apartment in a bad neighborhood and plan on having my doors and top off all summer. I have underground parking but it's really no more secure than parking on the street, and at least if it's on the street I can usually look out my window or off my balcony and see it. I've thought about getting a club for the cruiser, a remote kill switch, and an alarm, but I can't really think of anything else. The guy installed a set of four Altec Lansing computer speakers on the roll bars and the sub is mounted under the driver seat. It might sound cheesy but he did a really clean job and they sound great. The stereo and CB are housed in a Tuffy center console so I don't think I have to worry too much about them, but the speakers seem like they'd be easy to steal. Do any of you have paging alarms which will tell you when people are messing with the rig? I know if someone really wants it, they'll get it, but most of the crime around my house comes from bums and low lifes who are just looking to grab something and run. Still, if I had an alarm or some way of knowing, I could easily run down the stairs and confront them/minimize the damage.

So, what do you guys use? Who here has an alarm? Maybe I just need good comprehensive insurance?

 

[spotcruiser]

Contact Landpimp about Lojack. Hate to say it, but an open rig in an apartment parking lot is fair game.

 

[rusty_tlc]

First of all my cruiser looks like it's abandoned when I'm driving it. Anybody who would steal that rolling piece of junk needs help.

Second, I never leave anything in it that I'm not willing to replace. Anything I need on the trail I keep in ammo boxes that I load before a trip.

Third, I'd really like to have a CD/radio and CB that are full time fixtures, so I bought a Tuffy overhead console. They also make center consoles and storage boxes.

Other things I've seen;
bolt locking steel tool boxes to the rear fender wells with carriage bolts.
Bolt a big storage box in the back.
Confer used to make a rear seat with locking storage, you might find one on E-bay.

 

[cruiserjunktion]

move????

 

[dgangle]

I second the not leaving anything in it not replaceable. Lock a soft top? Some lowlife will have the master key...a knife. Seriously, a Tuffy is good for the radio. Don't leave anything in it worth anything to anyone. I once had my jack stolen. I sure hope it wasn't another Land Cruiser owner. Park it in a conspicuous place, lighted if possible. Thieves like to work under anonymity. You may want to consider some type of hidden power switch. I once saw a guy with a simple little flip switch which interrupted the circuit going to his coil. Flip switch and no spark, period. It takes all but 5 minutes to hot wire an FJ40. No steering lock either. "the club" is a joke. It may slow down a real dumb thief but a smart one will cut the steering wheel with bolt cutters. 45 seconds later and it's off. Good luck.


I can tell from your posts you are really excited about joining in the excitement of owning a 40. What a kick in the nuts it will be to find your truck gone. You may want to move or keep the hardtop on.


Apartments are notorious for opportunists. Hell, many probably don't even live there. I have heard rumors of guys "shopping" for motorcycles in them. Easy pickins.

 

[brian]

1. don't have a radio
2. people around here don't care about 30yr old "junk"
3. i think the peeps in my "hood" are skeered of me
4. said peeps have seen the "heat" i "pack"

2,3&4 have lead to me not having to talk to my "neighbors", which is a good thing.

 

[chuglife]

i don't have a stereo, nothing in the glovebox except the necessary insurance papers (tucked up inside the dash, not visible) and a couple rags to wipe off my seat when it rains. no problems yet (knock on wood)

 

[rusty_tlc]

1. don't have a radio
2. people around here don't care about 30yr old "junk"
3. i think the peeps in my "hood" are skeered of me
4. said peeps have seen the "heat" i "pack"

2,3&4 have lead to me not having to talk to my "neighbors", which is a good thing.

My neighbors stopped talking to me after I went at my rear fenders with the 4" angle grinder.
Owning a rig that looks like a POS is the best theft prevention.

 

[Joe Link]

Those are all great ideas guys. I wish moving was an option but it's just not feasible right now. The stereo is in a tuffy console, with the CB. I will have my top off all summer, definately not going to try to secure a soft top. Are clubs really that easy to circumvent?

Haven't heard of any alarms yet, noboby?

 

[spotcruiser]

Alarms really don't work. They go off all the time and everyone ignores them. Talk to Landpimp about Lojack. I think you can get a version that let's you know when the truck is in the process of being stolen. At least the police will be able to track it and get your rig back.

As everyone else said, don't leave anything valuable in it. These days, people steal just because they can. They'll steal s*** they don't even want and toss it out a block down the street.

 

[Joe Link]

Any idea how much the Lojack system is? I know people ignore alarms, I'd want a paging one so that I knew when it was going off. I know better than leaving valuables in vehicles around my house, no matter what they are.

 

[Dragon158]

I use a club, at best it will keep the kids from stealing my ride. But like someone else said, a serious thief will use bolt cutter. Fortunatly my biggest concern is the neighborhood punks trying to steal it for a joyride.

I once owned a 1987 Olds Cutlass, completly finished, fresh paint and all. I had an alarm, ignition kill switch & a club. One night I went to a bar in the wrong neighborhood for someones birthday party. I had one beer and rolled only to find an empty parking spot & tire marks where they pulled it onto a flatbed tow truck. Fast forward about ten days, the cops call me and leave a message saying they found my car. But I didn't get the message because I was on night work. By the time I got down there the car was stolen a second time. Got to love the Philly cops.

The moral of the story is... get lo jack if it's worth anything to you. Keep in mind my Cutlass was the number one stolen car at the time, not like car thieves will be looking for a LC to chop.

P.S. Spotcruiser, does landpimp have a deal on lo jack?

 

[Joe Link]

Another idea I had was a removable steering wheel, anyone tried it? I could get a lock for the hook (which I'm going to anyway) then put it under the hood when I park somewhere. Might sound tedious but it'd be worth it to prevent theft.

 

[76BigheadFJ40]

I haven't really had any problems with anything being taken out of my 40, but, like has been said before, don't leave anything worth any value inside the truck. Actually, come to think about it, I had a bum steal my lunch once, and I saw him walking with it a little later, decided to let him keep it, probably needed it a lot more than me. kinda funny I like to put stuff underneath my driver seat if it comes down to it, but I pack light when going anywhere and keep my stuff with me. Another option is get another truck that'll lock up good

 

[coiled40gary]

I thought no one would ever steal my old cruiser, still has the original paint, and a few body parts that have been beaten back into general shape. But one evening coming out of a Cascade Cruiser club meeting, I found an empty parking spot. There were a lot nicer cruisers in the lot than mine. It took me awhile to realize it was not someones joke. I found it myself the next morning, partially stripped, I'm sure by that evening it would have been completely gone. They got in though the locked doors w/ hard top, and got it running without any damage, like they had keys.

So, you can not count on the fact that it is 30 years old and ugly as a theft deterent. Now I have a device that used to around along time ago, but pretty hard to find now. I saw some in Pep Boys once, and grabbed one. It looks like two sliding canes, you hook one end on the steering wheel, I use a center spoke, not the outer ring, a little harder to cut out, and the other end hooks under the brake peddle. I also have a switch on the electric fuel pump, if (when) the perp gets the truck going, they will get out into traffic, then the bowl will run dry, dieing in traffic where they will hopefully jump out and run because they are no long in the privacy of the parking spot. I have an under hood switch that turns off all electronics, and I use it too if I leave it in the airport parking lot for an extended period.
My seat has a hole in the bottom for a submerine strap, I intend to make a metal piece that will go through that hole, lock to the floor under the seat, and stick up above the seat preventing anyone from sitting in the driver's seat (without conciderable discomfort). So they can't just jump in and hot wire the truck.

Mostly you have to make your truck look like it will take more time to get going than the vehicles around it.

They have devices that will lockout the peddles too.

gary

 

[bonzai]

So no one has tried the removable steering wheel

 

[mathblaster]

I have the Grant removeable steering wheel system. Its really nice, but it extends your steering column by an inch or 2. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it is. I have to cut my steering column when I install power steering anyway so I'll take care of it then. Also, I don't know if you can use your horn with it. Just watch ebay for a used one, and look for a decent steering wheel that is close to the stock diameter.

 

[Joe Link]

What is the stock steering wheel diameter? Is there any play in the wheel with the grant system that normally isn't there? How easy is it to remove the wheel?

 

[honk]

"not like car thieves will be looking for a LC to chop"

You kidding? Cruiser parts are hot selling items in ebay and once removed they're almost all unidentifiable. They'll steal it no matter what it looks like.

The Tuffy boxes are a piece of cake. I bought a truck that had one but the owner had recovered the truck from a lien and in that process the Tuffy keys were gone. I drilled both locks when I got it home with a HF cordless in about thirty seconds. My bit must've been dull.

"Now I have a device that used to around along time ago, but pretty hard to find now"

It's called "The Club"......doh. Available everywhere, cheap.

If someone is a thief and wants your truck, they'll have it. They're good at it too, and it doesn't much matter where you park or what you do. I know a guy who had a very desirable car. He kept it locked in his garage and had thorough home security installed and operating. One day he came home from work, kissed his wife who'd been home all day, and went to his garage and his car was gone. No signs of break-in or anything, and even the police couldn't determine the entry. They concluded that it must not have been locked but the owner KNOWS that it was because the system allowed the garage to be secured even when the house wasn't active.

Talk to your insurance agent about comprehensive and your homeowner's policy if applicable.

 

[RUfj40crazy]

Letting the neighbors know that your packing on occasion is one of the better deterrents. Had a similar issue with my motorcycle when I was in college, needless to say nobody ever touched it.

The other idea is that if you’re that worried, and you also need a storage space look into a storage unit. They work great for winter motorcycle storage as well as a place to change oil and do body work. Usually there’s nobody around to bitch at you for running an angle grinder and throwing sparks on their car.

Just have to make sure that you get a storage unit that has been Ok’d for storing vehicles or flammables. More times than not these things are privately owned, talk to the owner, I bet they may have a car of their own stuffed it one.
Mine Did!

Peace
Neal