Removing Key Locks & Securing your Car

[zuludan]

I was thinking about removing the locks from my Ra23 celica as the original toyota locks are so crap you can open it quicker with a coat hanger than you can with the original key. I was going to put in a central locking kit and fill the old holes.

Question is wWhat sort of dollars am i talking if i get professionally done,

Or does anyone have any other ideas. Maybe the round key replacements I have seen kicking around but it doesn't stop the coat hanger problem.

So my questions to the masses is How to protect a 30 year old car ?

[mikie_121]

Hey

Central locking kits are available from about $30 and go up. I bought a cheap set from Autobarn for my Gemini about 6 years ago and they were crap. The rubber covers on them didn't even last 2 months before they disintegrated and that let dust and water in and the whole system died.
I have seen remote entry cars with the lock holes filled and painted and it looks great. The thing i would worry about is what if you have a flat battery in the remote, or you lose it, and you can't get in to your car.
Just removing the locks also doesn't guarantee against a breakin. Those RAA guys can get into anything and they usually go down past the window.

I vaguely remember Tonkins offering cenral locking kits fitted for about $200, and I think Strathfield was offering something similar. I don't think that included remotes, though.
Your best bet would be to fit an imobiliser to stop it from being driven away and don't worry about keeping it too well locked. If someone wants to get it they will and the easier they do that the less they will damage your baby.

[zuludan]

Yeah I agree... Immobiliser is the best. I guess your right let them in easier and less damaged caused but what about the $1000 dollars of Audio Equipment. Has anyone placed some shields within the door to stop the coat hanger type of break in.

[HRV-00S]

Shaving your locks (and handles) looks good but you've still got the coat hanger problem. Plating around them could work but depends how the rods are set out within the door, then they may just break the window to get in I've been kicking around a few minitruck forums and there the place to go for the shaving side off things, if you shave the locks get the best keyless entry you can afford as it's less likely to stuff up. Tho seen a few neat ways to get around it one was to hook up a bonnet release cable to unlock the drivers door (hidden under the guard)

I also had a set of those solex locks in a previous car (the barrel type) and you could turn the key 90` to lock and still be able to unlock with a coat hanger, or turn the key 90` then back to the center and the doors could not be unlocked from inside or with a coat hanger. They might be the best bet because even if they do smash the window they still wont be able to unlock the door.

If you do shave the locks do the handles too

My old mini

[bigmat]

it is highly illegal to have your drivers side door shaved and lock removed. police will defect. i went through this with my engineer. just trying to help.

[zuludan]

Lock removal cannot be defective, New cars are coming standard without locks.
I can understand door handles. I think I will go the Central Locking with hidden manual switch linked to Immobiliser

[bigmat]

yes you must have one lock to enter the cabin of a vehicle incase central locking fails. all good. good luck.

[maurice c]

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView...Max=&SUBCATID=

These have been in my car for the last 2 years and have proformed without a problem. They are cheap to replace, each part is sold separately and they with work with most off the shelf alarms.

[WDE_BDY]

If you remove the lock barrel and the rod attached to it then it will be very dificult to open with a coathanger. The only physical connection to the locking mechanism will now be the interior locking button which is on the other side of the glass so pretty hard to hook.
Immobiliser on an old carby car is virtually a waste of time on unless you get creative, 12V to starter and coil and you will bypass 99.9% of immobiliser installs. You need to cut circuits that are hard to bypass, try the coil wire to distributor for example.

Callum

["Z" UTE]

An easy solution to the flat battery issue, which seems to be a big concern to some, is to mount a well insulated secondary positive battery terminal some where under the car. Front chassis rail, if your battery is still in the engine bay, or rear chassis rail for those that have re-located their battery to the boot. Quite easy to connect to an external battery, jump pack or charger, or another car, simply using jumper leads.

cheers Chuck.

[HRV-00S]

it is highly illegal to have your drivers side door shaved and lock removed. police will defect. i went through this with my engineer. just trying to help.

Yeah, you get that on the big jobs
It still had handles they were like the lock on the inside, push the little nob down and door pops open. But don't know how you'd get around having no locks? can you access the cabin through the boot?


or just get one of these
http://www.smokemachines.net/buy-car...y-system.shtml
to bad they don't come with tear gas