Anti-theft for a CJ sitting outside?

I'm going home for Christmas and my CJ will be sitting outside for about a month. My roommates will all be around except for about a week right over Christmas. I'm wondering if there's anything I can do quickly that would make it harder for some random person from driving off with the '71? First, I think I'm going to park it in (we only have a one car wide driveway). I don't think anybody would try but you could run over the fence and get out even then. I've been told that removing the distributor rotor is the way to go. If somebody tries to hot wire it the engine will rev but it won't fire, they just assume its busted and leave it unless they've got a flat bed.

Personally, I get the feeling that most people couldn't even keep it running (that manual choke was new to me when I got it) but I don't want to come home and find just an oily spot from where the dripping oil plug used to be.

Thanks for your help!

 

i asked the same thing a few weeks ago... Here are a bunch of great ideas from everyone!
http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38086

 

Oops... guess I should use the search function a little bit.

I wish my land lord hadn't put in a brick wall so you can't dive into the back yard. That really would be the better place for it.

 

in Califonia, it's a whole different ballgame
lock it up, or it's gone
overdrives have been stolen while the Jeep is in the driveway.....

 

I like to park mine where I can always see it.
in a restaurant, grocery store, post office, etc
yea that's hard to do, cause it's hard to watch
In Durango, while we rode the train all day, we boxed the Jeeps in, and I always take the dist rotor with me, figuring Presto V6 rotors aren't too common...
of course, don't tell the bad guys there was a trail spare in the spare parts ammo can inside the Jeep

 

Do this...Take a drain pan and put a decent coating of used oil in it under the jeep to simulate a bad leak, next let the air out of one or more tires to give the "definitly low " look but not sitting on rim, then grab some xtra wires laying around and make a rat's nest hangin down from the dash then pull the rotor and disconnect the wire to the starter and tape it off. Also you could crawl under and disconnect the clutch pedal.
I gaurantee it will be there when you get back! nobody lookin for a joy ride will go to the trouble and car thieve's ain't interested in that year any way

 

This works too.

 

I disagree with Executioner on this one. Make a vehicle look abandoned, and it will be stripped for parts, then filled with garbage.

I took a turn signal out of my car, and the next morning the headlights were gone too. And I live on a back road in a small town.

A biker guy know used to leave a pistol holster (empty) strapped to his handlebars. Any crook will figure you are armed and dangerous!

Pete

 

Mine is usually in my locked shop, guarded by my fierce bird dog, :twisted: and that is behind a fence. If I didn't have all that and planned to be gone for a month I'd consider finding a fee storage area that would take it. I do the chain from the brake to the steering wheel for going to town. It does work!

 

Never thought about disconnecting the clutch pedal. Genius!!!

 

Sparky, considering all the work and effort you have put into yours, I would think you'd be more than hopping if some bozo yanked it from you! But if you live in an area with low crime, I can see that you may feel safe. You're lucky!

 

Just yank a tire and put it in the house not to many thieves carry a spare.

 

Most young kids today do the, manual choke .......whats a choke
I'm like Sparky I don't worry about mine except when I go on vacation for a week or so, then I usually pull the coil wire, rotor and disconnect the battery. Most young kids today wouldn't touch a vehicle this old once they saw the pedals go thru the floor and the general disarray of how these jeeps are built and layed out.

 

I have similar feelings. I left my Jeep parked outside for a couple years here in Chicagoland and it never once crossed my mind that someone might take it. And about half of that time was when it was driveable. I guess it all depends on where you live. Around here, I don't think an "old Jeep" would be a big theft item. Anything could happen though.

 

Bassically if someone want's or needs what you got they will take it if they got the balls to. Lock it up in a garage and if they want it that won't stop em. no matter what you do If the crook wants what you got there is nothing to stop them. make it look like a P.O.S. then scavengers will steal stuff. Obviosley lock it up and secure it with an alarm then they think it must be worth something...I've had my 79' Diplomat in Reading 5th worst in crime for Pa. and left i unlocked with the window's open all day and nobody messed with it.

It's all luck and is what u got worth it to what they want.
Just secure your rig so what you got is more of a hassle than the other guy's

 

I live outside Phoenix and car theft is pretty big. Jeeps are a big ticket item here too, the resale is really high on them. Also, this makes starting it in the cold a non-issue, it's about 70 degrees out right now, hit the starter and one pump of gas and it roars to life. Well, as long as you're using the choke for the first few minutes.

I think I'm going to take the distributor rotor. And while I'm not sure if executioner's thoughts about making my vehicle look like a project vehicle will work it will have a pan with oil underneath. I need to put a gasket on the oil drain plug next time I change my oil, it drips.