Re: locking hood?
 

Yes,
Good point on a potential fire while a cable and seperate lock is installed. About the best way to come close to being prepaired is at least have the key on your key chain that starts the truck. I use the cable for now as a tempory to get me through until I find a cable and contact Putter and ask him to modify my hood latch for me or I get aventurous and do it myself. I am liking Trans Amz Ideal as well and excited to see what he designs. I am all about securing anything and everything to give thieves a problem right back at them. I have even designed my own locking gas cap for both my trucks, example is my avitar. My next venture is to Mcgyver a protective plating system to cover my gas lines under the cab area. I want to design a antisyphin for the gas fill tube of the tank too. Again, GREAT thread.
R/

Re: locking hood?
 

ok guys figured it out I'll post some morer pics from the project in a few.

Simple and effective!

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/1259/p1090260.jpg

Re: locking hood?
 

First I sat there looking at the hood latch for about an hour trying to figure out the best way to go about doing
this.
I thought of many different ways to go about it, but eventually the simplest design seamed the best route.
So here is my tech article.


Before pics.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/3888/p1090228.jpg
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/993/p1090231.jpg

This is the same gage thickness at the metal used on the hood latch itself.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9388/p1090235.jpg

then added a 90*.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/377/p1090236.jpg

It was then cut down a bit on each end to fit correct.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/5898/p1090237.jpg

Where it will be mounted.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7307/p1090238.jpg
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/5234/p1090240.jpg

To make this lock effective the handle has to be welded to the levers or a screw driver or pry bar can open the hood (excuse my shatty welds)

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/642/p1090241.jpg
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/4214/p1090243.jpg

to be cont...

Re: locking hood?
 

Continuation :)

Tacking it on.

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9354/p1090244.jpg
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/8049/p1090245.jpg

Drilled a hole just big enough to get the lock through and installed the lock.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6799/p1090248.jpg


The lock worked well but needed to be reinforced to prevent it from flexing so I added an edge to it.

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5128/p1090251.jpg
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/478/p1090252.jpg
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1304/p1090253.jpg
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3492/p1090254.jpg
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/836/p1090255.jpg

to be cont....

Re: locking hood?
 

Last Continuation :smoke:

Here it is Installed.
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/6317/p1090256.jpg
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4373/p1090257.jpg
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/1259/p1090260.jpg

From the outside the lock is not noticeable unless you get low.

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/6343/p1090258.jpg
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4084/p1090259.jpg

Thick coat of Gloss black Rustolium to finish it off.

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/47/p1090264.jpg

It works very well. I can pull up on it very hard and it wont move much at all.
Let me know what you guys think. :metal:

Re: locking hood?
 

Nice idea tranz am but theres no way I could use it with my 72 grill

Re: locking hood?
 

Is the latch assembly the same?
If so you can get to it under the front behind the grill?

Designing something to work with that grill might be tough to do. May bee a solenoid popper could be used.

Re: locking hood?
 

A guy could use the bracket and make a spring loaded pin that pulled with a cable from inside to lock it if you had a different grill or billet style grill.

I've got an old tube style grill in my truck that I can barely get my fingers through and that would keep the sneaky Petes looking to grab goodies quick out.

A guy could make it solenoid operated but then it wouldn't work w/o electricity if the battery was dead.

Food for thought on designing something.

Re: locking hood?
 

Agreed, there would have to be a cable hidden to open the hood when using a popper.
Lots to think about on this one.

Re: locking hood?
 

I have mine hooked up to my alarm system with a simple button that will release and set off the alarm when the hood opens.

Re: locking hood?
 

hood butons are a must with an alarm but thats only going to slow a thief down a little. Once the hood opens its only going to take a second to snip the horn wire and or remove the battery cable.
If your away from the vehicle and cant hear it when it goes off, what good is an alarm?
The object here is to put as many obstacles as possible on so that a thief will give up because its taking too long to figure it out.

Re: locking hood?
 

Alarms are good for your average everyday car with little value but these are classics and much easier to steal without more protection.
Most thieves want whats in the car (cd player, dvd player etc.) not so much to steal it. If the car or truck is easier and faster to steal they might take that route instead and pull what they want out at their own leisure or worse keep it in a barn or garage for 7 years until it falls out of the DMV system, and drive it around like they own it.

Re: locking hood?
 

Good Job,
That looks really nice. I could reach that easly on my 70 GMC. My compliments to the creativeness and inovation.
R/
Billy

Re: locking hood?
 

Thanks brother.

Re: locking hood?
 

still thinking of something that might work with a Chevy grill. any ideas?

Re: locking hood?
 

Thats a good challenge right there. Please bare with me; my truck is not here to look at?

Right off the top of my head for a Chevy maybe take the GMC ideal and add another piece below it attached to the support somehow with an addition of a hinge where it can be flipped up to meet the locking hole and it can be locked like a locking hasp. It is still a matter of reaching up in there. I will have to brain storm this one.

The other one I was thinking was use the same GMC ideal, but make a bar about 10 to 12 inches long that you can run through the hole for the GMC concept. Think of the old crypto locks for bicycles just more of a rounded v shape so it is easy to get in the hole and bring the locking ends closer to the owner to make for quick and easy locking task. This one needs some brain storming too. I thought of this one because here at work people bring big Craftsman tool boxes in and construct locking systems on all the drawers that give reach and real good security to the owner. They are very hard to get into.

I know, you will like this one, I am on a role, god help us, HA, ha, anyway; take a Flat bar about one inch in width. Measure from the hole in the GMC set up that you did, cut the flat bar to the length that you want, so you don’t have to reach up in there when locking; then get a small round metal bar that resembles a dow rod and weld it to the flat bar on one end, so when you want to lock your Chevy you can get under the grill, stick the flat bar with the welded small piece on it through the hole; the dow rod looking piece will have to have some length to it so it can’t be forced back out by a thief. Attach a locking hasp like device to the bottom of the support brace and we might have something workable to lock for a Chevy, hope that made sense. Anyway, food for thought, I really like this thread.

R/
Billy

Re: locking hood?
 

can you draw up some diagrams on these 3 ideas? its hard for me to picture them just from words.

Re: locking hood?
 

I see where he's headed, maybe this would help....

Take a 3/8" round rod maybe 20" long. Come in 3" from the top end and put a 120 degree bend in the rod. Put the top end into your padlock hole and let the rod dangle. Due to the the bend, it can't be pulled straight out.

On the bottom end, weld a piece of angle to the rod, then mount a mating piece of angle to the splash pan. (I'm going off memory here, so this may not be quite workable) Anyway, the idea is to hook into the side of the latch mechanism, then let the rod swing into place and lock at the bottom of the radiator.

How many people get a cut of the profits once we start selling these things?

Re: locking hood?
 

While that is true, the alarm is still going off and is active. Just without a siren. My alarm sends a signal to my keychain and starts chiming away when it goes off. (up to 1/4 a mile) And an internal battery backup keeps it active even if the battery is removed. This also keeps the ignition switch inactive as well.

I'm not dumb enough to think this will save my truck. If they want it, they will get it. But you better be darn fast it you want to screw around with it. Mine stays garaged anyway and is rarely too far away.

I think your lock is clean but would not work with my grill either. I personally do not like the idea of not being able to get into the engine compartment quickly either. Getting a key in the lock, stressed out, and with smoke/fire peeking out could be an interesting situation. But great job either way.

Re: locking hood?
 

Thanks for the assist.

I will apply it to diagram and when I get it done, I can mail it to you.
R/

Re: locking hood?
 

I drew a diagram up on one for you. If you send me an address I will mail it to you for review.
R/
Billy

Re: locking hood?
 

sent :)

Re: locking hood?
 

Hey Bro, Ideal should be to ya now. Hope it makes sence and is workable.
R/
Billy

Re: locking hood?
 

Heres another solution:

http://www.buyautotruckaccessories.c...sored%2BSearch

DZL1.

Re: locking hood?
 

I dont know if you want to drill holes in the hood or not but I am installing these in mine when I get my new motor.
http://www.statracing.com/buy/mr-gasket-hood-pins.asp
Locking hood pins