Car security, precautions, and car alarms suitable for classics

Parking your car securely.

Many classic motor policies dictate the parking arrangements you'll need. Some say the car must be garaged overnight, or alternatively be off the road between certain nocturnal hours. Either way, make sure you know whats what. Best of all is to park in a locked alarmed garage, preferably directly outside your remote country idyll, with the hounds set loose. Alas not many of us are in the fortunate position, although garaging should really be arranged wherever possible. Driveway parking is ok so long as you don't tell porkies to the insurance company and pretend that it is garaged.

Try to ensure that your driveway has some form of lighting, most car thieves don't like everyone being able to see what they're up to, and may be enough to put off some of the casual light-fingered brigade. You might think that you're dog-eared A55 Cambridge would appeal to no-one, but truth is the simpler older cars are often targeted by scum as they're known to have pretty dire door locks, as opposed to pricier machines which may have seen some money invested in security measures.

If you leave the car in the drive or garage for a period of time, it may be worth getting one of those removeable (or folding) security posts, which are usually set into concrete. The folding ones are handiest, although your low slung Healey exhaust may complain if it's regularly dragged over the horizontal post. If nothing else, make sure your driveway has a nice set of gates across it, as otherwise its an open invitation for your common tea-leaf to wander in and meddle with your car. And if you have a modern piece of tat sharing your driveway, why not park it behind your classic (or up against the garage doors) as if nothing else, it'll make thieving your collectors car a whole lot more difficult if theres a modern in the way.

Wherever possible don't leave your classic parked out on the road for any length of time, local councils are getting very 'diligent' in scooping up anything that looks even remotely down at heel, so if you have no other option but to park on the side of the road (a road that motorists pay for several times over) then find out about your local authority's attitude to parked cars.
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Car alarms.

You might want to invest in a car alarm - quite a wise idea as classics aren't usually too difficult to break into. By now cars from say the 1960s will be showing some wear in the door lock area, and quite often a selection of keys will open the car door. One thing to remember when installing the alarm is the polarity of your car - check first how best to install an alarm onto an older car that may well be positive earth. Popular cars that spring to mind would include the A40 Farinas and Ford 103E Pops of this world, to name a couple. Equally, said Pop and others from the 1950s and before are often fitted with 6 volt electrics, so some adaptation may be required.

Steering bars/locks may deter some criminally minded people, but they are really just a minimum precaution, as they can usually be hacksawed off, or in extreme cases the steering wheel itself can be bent out of the way, rendering the lock null and void. If you really want to push the boat out, fit a tracking device.
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Immobilise your car.

For a more modern classic, you could always get a proper alarm system that has an immobiliser incorporated into it. A simpler method, which may be of more use to owners of more basic steeds, is to whip out the rotor arm from beneath the distributor cap. Unless the bad guy has a stock of matching rotor arms in his back pocket, he won't be starting your car's engine in a hurry (unless you leave the rotor somewhere too obvious!). Likewise you could take the main coil->dizzy cap HT lead with you, but thats a less secure solution.

I've known people have quick-removing steering wheels on their classics (I remember an MG Midget and early Golf GTi like this at work), leaving the car pretty difficult to either drive or (importantly) tow away. Simplest is to have a cut off switch secreted about your car, which is usually plumbed into a main battery connection lead. However unless its well hidden, scum may find it and carry on unhindered. Slightly more cunning is to fit a tap to the fuel line as some convenient location, that way the thief will only get a few yards down the road in your treasured Bond Minicar before coasting to a halt. These are available from motorsport suppliers.

If you subscribe to the school of thought which says that nothing is too bad for the thieving fraternity, please remember that if you wire your car up to the 240v mains supply and fry the next scumbag that tries to break into your car, chances are it'll be you thats hauled up for illegal activity, and not the toasted 'victim' so not really a good option.
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Contents inside the car.

Common sense dictates that leaving anything worthy of pinching visible inside the car, is not a good move. So hide away that rare copy of Autocar magazine, c1968, and your period Motorola radio, permanently tuned to Radio Caroline. Equally, lock away your rare collection of Roberta Flack 8 track cartridges, just in case a nostalgic, one-time 70s groover, scumbag sidles on by your Vauxhall Victor, and takes a fancy to your tantalising tune collection, on display to all.

Something quite easy to overlook when it comes to convertible cars is the tax disc .. at the best of times, protecting your nicknacks in a classic roadster is tricky, but don't forget that little disc. OK it may be £zero rated if you are in the UK and in a pre-73 build car, but its still a pain in the derriere if it gets swiped. And if your classic is later than 1972, then thats potentially £160+ you risk losing if someone does take the disc. The only way of slowing down someone taking the disc is to fit a motorcycle style tax disc holder, and try to fit it in such a way that both removing the holder, and the disc inside, is an involved process and one that most tea-leafs wouldn't have time for.
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Car & tool storage.

Want to protect that derelict spares or project car from local scum?? Well easiest way to slow someone down from knicking your auto is to jack it up onto axle stands, and remove the wheels. That way only iron-man contenders can walk off with your classic. Another good move is to throw a sheet over it if you're not bothered about the paintwork - the less attention it attracts the better, plus you're less likely to get ear-ache from your neighbours, who (strangely) might not share your delight in overlooking that crusty old '57 Chevy Belair crumbling away to oblivion in your back yard.

I've got a few oldies which are not in use, and don't fit in the garage alas. However I still want 'em to be dry and out of sight if possible. My solution has been to cordon off the corner of the garden and throw up a small (!) shelter to house the cars. Access is way down the bottom of the garden and out of sight, important if you like hanging onto your own possessions.

Of course its not just cars that might be worth something to you. Spare parts and tools used on the car are also pricey, and popular with the light-fingered brigade - nice and easy to flog down at the pub too, so its a good idea to lock up tools and parts carefully. For ideas on storing parts and tools in a nice ordered manner, have a look at my garage storage ideas page when you've finished here.

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