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MG MGB Technical - make your one alarm!!!!!!!

hoi there,
has anybody any ideas how to make a alarm or anything to keep the mg from getting stolen.
I have got a 64 mgb and im looking for some tips.

thanks for your help.
mike

Hi Mike, here in Pennsylvania, we just remove the battery, wheels and steering wheel. At least it slows the thieves down. Seriously, I would consider a power shut off switch locked in the trunk. A friend of mine one had a second ignition swith in the trunk of a midget, that killed the power.
Doug Martin

Doug's ideas are good ones. I have a battery cut-off switch and a paging alarm. (The regular, noisy alarm systems seems to iritate everybody but nobody bothers to investigate, let alone call a cop). The paging alarm has a range up to 4 blocks, and will sound if anyone opens the doors, trunk or hood. At least I will know if anyone is screwing around with my car. I also have a blinking red led that I can switch on to make people think the car is wired.
Dan

Mike,
In addition to the battery cut off switch you may want to add a switch to cut off the fuel pump. These are very easy to hide. Others have suggested another switch to cut off the brake lights which may draw the attention of the local police but I would be a little hesitant to do that. Too easy to forget and cause an accident.
Mike C.
Mike Crowley

Mike, I always remove the distributor rotor when parking in a "dodgy" area. It doesn't cost or add anything unecessary and has the added bonus of making me more aware of tune up time. Won't help if the thief has a flatbed or tow truck though.
Aaron

A battery cutoff switch inside the trunk (if a roadster) or the locking glove box seems to work well.
Ted

An old MGB trick is to have the fuel pump connection run through the overdrive switch on the column stalk (must obviously be a non OD car). You shut off the pump when you park. If a thief takes the car, he runs out of gas after about a mile, leaving the car where it should be spotted quickly.
Steve Lipofsky

I installed an electric hydrolic valve on the brake line. When you park the car step on the brake and hit the switch. All four brakes are locked up and the car can't be towed, pushed or driven away. I also installed a dead man switch on it. When the brake system is on and the ingition switch is turned on an alarm goes off in the car to tell me the brake switch is on.
Jeff Beckerf

Mike,

Backing up the alarm on my GT which has shock detection, ultrasound and voltage drop sensors is a switch in the deashboard marked 'Rear Screen' which breaks the supply to the ignition coil and fuel pump. This has the secondary advantage that it can be thrown in an emergency to cut the fuel and ignition.

If I park in a really sh*tty area I take the rotor arm with me as well.

Cheers,
Jim
Jim Aitken

Jeff,

Your hydraulic switch sounds interesting. Where do you get one, how much and how dificult is it to fit.

David
David Witham

I purchased it from a local hot rod shop that sells hoses and makes them, also many other speciality parts that can be adapted for special use. This valve is from a airplane and this unit was built in 1958. The cost of the valve was about $50 and i put it in line on my brakes.The dead man switch is built from my local electronic store using a relay and a small buzzer. I have set this unit on and have left it on for 16 hrs with no problem starting the car. I know when I walk away from my car I will be able to walk back to it and find it. If you need more info let me know
jeff becker

Oh yeah, and now the clock doesn't work either, since I hooked up the new battery. :(
Jeremy

Steve's overdrive switch is a good idea. Another good place to hide a switch in full view is the cigar lighter, which when you think about it, is really a switch. I haven't wired my MG yet, but I had my MR2 wired that way, with a seal-in relay. It cut out the ignition, until the lighter was pushed in. The lighter or overdrive options are convenient enough so you use them everytime you stop somewhere. I also had a switch in the trunk for overnights. The only problem was when I loaned someone the car, or for the smog test mechanic....I always forgot to tell folks how to start the car. Once I left the car to have tires installed, came back 2-hours later, to find the work wasn't even started.

I remember the electro hydraulic valves from my 4X4 days. Some guys had those on the brake lines for those times when you had one pedal too many. They make a manual version as well. You might try finding one at a off-road specialty place.
Terrence Goodell

Good ideas all but you need to make it as simple as possible or you'll never use it .
1.swap one plug wire with the coil wire in dizzy cap - car will start & run one one cylinder only .

2.ground points side of coil via rear defroster switch , OD switch or better yet connect the power lead from the back of your ciggy lighter - just keep it pushed in when you park and it grounds the ign.

3. in the U.S. buy a " MICO " brake lock - this is a mechanical hydraulic brake lock - get from brake parts house or meduim duty truck repair place - they use them to hold delivery trucks on hills .

4.radio shops sell blinking red L.E.D.'s , wire up one side to 12 volts and the other side to hot side of ign. coil - it will begin to blink as soon as you turn off the ignition . will blink for over one month and not run down your battery . mount in top of dash so it will (faintly) reflect inside the windshield at night .

5. be aware - my son's car had a transmission lock and ignition kill circut and was parked on a dead end street off another dead end street in the ritzy part of town for maybe 10 minutes and poof ! gone without a trace - we never found a single part . if they want it , they'll take it - you are just stopping kids & joyriders .

I hope none of you ever has the pain of loosing you baby , I've lost several .
-Nate
Nate

where i come from, MG's aren't really the hottest thing for pepole to steal.. i don't know why, they're pretty easy to make off with (figured that out when i had a dead ignition switch). My main concern was having my car messed with. The best thing i've found is a paging alarm that shreaks like a banshee. Mine has a radar feature that's pretty slick. I can leave the top down and if someone reaches in it goes off. Also, with the starter disable, unless you know the wiring on the MGB, i don't think you'd be able to figure much out in terms of a by-pass. And if you could... good luck getting one of these finicky things started before someone's around... and just don't park your car in a dodgy area!.. did your mother ever leave you in a dark alley while she ran into the store??
So buy an alarm.. they're well worth the money for the reliability, and the convenience(don't have to pop the hood before you leave the car)... And make sure you get the guys who install it to disable that stupid tilt feature.. if my car gets towed that alarm aint gonna shut up. Cheers,

Dave
75B Rdstr
David Ryzuk

The trouble with ultra-loud alarms, is that no one seems to pay any attention. How many times have we all walked out of the supermarket, only to hear a car alarm blaring. I've never seen anyone pay the slightest bit of attention to it. If there is someone standing next to the car, everyone seems to assume he/she is the owner, trying to get in and shut the damn thing off.
Paul Noble

thanks for the tips, there are some good i can use.
I can't go for a electric alarm the car is possitive earth and has a dynamo so not enough electric.
I think i am going to install a switch at the feul pump.

thanks for your time,
mike

Mike, go for a switch which cuts both the fuel and ignition at the same time (perhaps through a relay) as the engine failing to start will remind you and avoid the embarrassment when you forget to switch the pump on :-). A battery cutout is a useful safety feature as well and gives peace of mind during long lay ups - I always put it in the -ve (ground/earth) lead, or in your case the +ve as it is more difficult to hot wire this way.
ian thomson

This thread was discussed between 05/11/2001 and 09/11/2001

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