Morris Minor Owners Club

Here is an easy way to keep your car secure without spending too much! Get a scrap bit of metal tube that will fit over the handbrake. Put the car in gear (1st or 3rd) and with the handbrake on, slip the metal tube over handbrake. Mark and then cut the tube about an inch longer than the point where it meets the gear-lever. Now drill a hole in the end of the tube (through both sides of the diameter) big enough to accept a padlock, then cut a slot in the end that has been drilled at 90 degrees to the holes. Make the slot big enough to accept the gear-lever so that the padlock can hold the tube over the gear-lever. Hey presto you now have a security lock that keeps the handbrake on and car in gear for the price of a padlock and scrap metal!

I suspect you will only need to unscrew the knob - and lift the tube off! 5 seconds max ??

The thief may not know that you merely have to unscrew the knob though, if nothing else it acts as a deterrent.

Go ON! They are not daft..........

If you can lift your handbrake above the top of the gearnob, your handbrake probably needs adjusting!

The thief certainly can! After all - he's going to have the extra leverage of that pipe to pull on!

bmcecosse wrote:The thief certainly can! After all - he's going to have the extra leverage of that pipe to pull on!

He might not smoke though Bmc so may not have a pipe in his jacket?

No problem - he can nip down to Poundland - they have some, yes - for £1 !!

cmea
One thing you will learn about this forum, there is always an expert ready to put you down
Don't let this put you off, your anti-theft device sounds good to me and I'm sure many others agree

Leo

I posted this before but - when I had a Frogeye many many moons ago someone nicked my Krooklock while attached and left a note saying he would have nicked the car as well but didnt fancy pushing it to get it started - cheeky thieving git
Krooklock - as much use as a chocolate exhaust pipe

I once had a lock on a VW based kit car (the kind that is a bar that clamps across your steering wheel) ... in the process of failing to get the lock off the &^%$&^%$ smashed all of the clocks in the dash & mangled the steering wheel ... which made it impossible to drive home!

NEVER again will I use one of those things ... I feel much safer with an ignition cutout on my alarm & a fuel pump cutoff switch in a REALLY unusual location ;)

DONT BE PUT OFF ! this is a good idea that works and it is easy to make up.

Mine is along the same lines as described by cmea, Using one inch metal tubing, 11 3/4 inches long
but flatened at the padlock end,drilled through and padlocked to the gear lever. IT CANT BE LIFTED OFF.

Easy to fit when you leave the car ( I leave it in third gear). I would also commend the fitting of a battery
isolator ( For safety and security) plus of course a hidden fuel pump switch.

Not even if you unscrew the knob ???????

Or take the whole gearlever off? A definite visual deterent but not too difficult to get around.
As with alot of these anti theft devices/ideas it is more about your own peace of mind rather than the actual difficulty for the thief.

Car thieves generally want to be in and away as soon as possible.
If a brute force approach doesn't work they are unlikely to return with tools for another go.

I'd suggest painting it in a bright colour to deter them from even breaking into the car.

If you look closely at this idea it is more effective than you may at first think.
There is very little movement on the tubing if you use the right diameter as its
'locked in' by the notched handbrake lever and meets the gear lever far enough
below the knob ( not enough movement to 'lift' it ).

OK, its not the ultimate car theft device but is a good first line defence and its
easy to make and easy to use. Like the bright colour idea too.

i have made a piece of metal that just slots on the clutch then drilled a hole for a padlock

It seems a good idea and i am willing to try it even if it just acts as a deterant for would be thieve's

I wouldn't lock a clutch pedal. I can drive a car without a clutch (albeit jerkily) and I bet a car thief could and they will not worry about crashing your gears.