Historical Question: How Did Thieves Steal Model "A"s?

[Bruce Lancaster]

Who was that guy in the Bonnie and Clyde Movie? Beatty or something?? As I recall, he walked up to a Model A, lifted the left side of the hood, stuck his hand in, and Vrooom! he was on his way.

We'd better ask him!

If I had to do it, quickest way would be to use a bolt cutter on the electrolock cable (Stop screaming! This is 1930 we're talking, and the Ford dealer will hand you a new one for $2.00!!), unscrew the stump, and screw in the 29 cent thin cable type replacement wire I got at the Western Auto across the street to rig as a jumper.
That's the only way I can think of that would avoid a lengthy disassembly of all sorts of stuff...but I'm sure any bright juvenile delinquent could come up with a more elegant solution.

[katy]

A lot of the old cars and tractors could have the ignition switch turned on by inserting 2 shingle nails in place of the key, after a bit of jiggling the switch would turn on and you were in business.
Shingle nails, the skinny small headed ones unlike roofing nails that are fatter and have large heads.

[Rowdy]

Your thoughts on this mirror mine. Quickest and easiest way I can think of. Could even have nearly free home made cable end, wire and toggle switch with a small amount of time just from things discarded at dealerships and repair shops. Rod

[KGBnut]

During the early 40s it was very common to trust your neighbors enough to leave your keys in the car...so teenagers invented 'joyriding'...the cleverly little snots... Lots of communities passed laws against leaving the keys in the car to try and stop the hoodlums.

If you listen to old radio shows (Fibber McGee and Molly is a personal favorite) there were a bunch of public service announcements woven into the scripts to discourage leaving the keys and remind people about the new laws.

Ken

[H. L. Chauvin]

Hi ericr,

Our rural area back then had citizens who voted for a sheriff with a reputation.

For example: I remember two young teenager brothers who went to a mechanic's shop to steal a battery one night ...... with no phones and no 911, mechanic peppered both with his shotgun ...... teenagers went home & told parents ..... parents brought both sons to sheriff's house that night to complain about their juveniles getting shot by an adult mechanic ...... sheriff handcuffed both parents and brought them to jail and brought both teens to their grandmother .... word spread rapidly that our sheriff said parents were responsible for their children ...... entire community praised the sheriff ......

Possible 2015 Version:

Mechanic charged with attempted murder, firing a weapon in a populated area and is imprisoned for life ..... single parent and grandmother sue for $1.5 million dollars for grief ..... teens sell the stolen battery and buy drugs ....... riots break out ...... mechanic's house and shop burned to the ground including his customer's cars ...... the following month, half of the community is grounded ..... vehicles can't start because half of the batteries in the community are missing.

After one week in the National News, other drug using single parents are sending their children out at night hoping to get some of that good free grief money to enhance their drug addiction.

[BlueSunoco]

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Originally Posted by H. L. Chauvin

Hi ericr,

Our rural area back then had citizens who voted for a sheriff with a reputation.

For example: I remember two young teenager brothers who went to a mechanic's shop to steal a battery one night ...... with no phones and no 911, mechanic peppered both with his shotgun ...... teenagers went home & told parents ..... parents brought both sons to sheriff's house that night to complain about their juveniles getting shot by an adult mechanic ...... sheriff handcuffed both parents and brought them to jail and brought both teens to their grandmother .... word spread rapidly that our sheriff said parents were responsible for their children ...... entire community praised the sheriff ......

Possible 2015 Version:

Mechanic charged with attempted murder, firing a weapon in a populated area and is imprisoned for life ..... single parent and grandmother sue for $1.5 million dollars for grief ..... teens sell the stolen battery and buy drugs ....... riots break out ...... mechanic's house and shop burned to the ground including his customer's cars ...... the following month, half of the community is grounded ..... vehicles can't start because half of the batteries in the community are missing.

After one week in the National News, other drug using single parents are sending their children out at night hoping to get some of that good free grief money.

Sadly this is the exact truth...............................

[Jeff/Illinois]

Another oddity---------- unless Deere does things differently now, a key from a Gator is the same as a Combine, and they are all the same key.

You can leave a $280,000 STS JD Combine in the field and some twerp with a Gator can drive in, take his Gator key, and drive off w/ your machine Same key is the door lock too.

[Bruce Lancaster]

I met a very old guy who told me about his days as a 12 year old joyrider...
He only ever made off with his parents' car, and the actual heist was ridiculously easy because the key was right in the switch...the key to the experience, however, was achieving silence. He could only go riding with his brother while the parents were asleep, and the car was parked right under their bedroom window.
Fortunately for the young delinquent, the car was a Dodge, I think of the late teens.
These Dodges were equipped with a huge belt-driven electrical device that served both as a starter and as a generator...and the belt drive made it absolutely silent.
The kids' drill was to hop in the car, drive away with the ignition off and the car proplelled by the starter, and turn on the engine half a mile away. On return, the engine was switched off and the car driven to its proper place again in stealth mode.
He told me his story when I notced and properly identified the Dodge starter-generator on his shelf, kept there for probably 60 years or so as a souvenir of his Huck Finn days!

(Edit...I find that the Dodge device was chain driven, with chain well silenced apparently by its place within the engine castings)

[burner31]

Originally Posted by ericr

-yeah I know, find one that had the keys in it. but we see references to stolen cars and how did thieves bypass the Electrolock, or it is foolproof, or did it primarily keep semi-honest people honest? Could one cut the armored cable and the wire therein, and put a jumper from the exposed wire to the coil?

I'm not looking for an illicit career late in life, just curious as to the efficacy of the Electrolock.

For what I "paid" for my A, I feel like I stole it.

[mshmodela]

Originally Posted by ericr

-yeah I know, find one that had the keys in it. but we see references to stolen cars and how did thieves bypass the Electrolock, or it is foolproof, or did it primarily keep semi-honest people honest? Could one cut the armored cable and the wire therein, and put a jumper from the exposed wire to the coil?

I'm not looking for an illicit career late in life, just curious as to the efficacy of the Electrolock.

Generally not good question to post on the internet but if one were to study the electrical, fuel, and starting systems, they may figure out a method.

[CarlG]

My friend "hot-wired" his '31 SW a couple nights ago to get it home. He used an ignition wire he got from one of the vendors that was especially made for the purpose. Had the correct fitting for the distributor on one end, an alligator clip on the other.

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by mshmodela

if one were to study the electrical, fuel, and starting systems, they may figure out a method.

in three or four years...in my case!!!!

[Fred K-OR]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

NOT a good subject to discuss, you wanna' tell the thieves "HOW TO"????
Bill W.

I totally agree Bill. Enough of this type of stuff in the current news that tell people how to do this sort of thing and worse.

[ronn]

Hoogah,

fantastic translation skills!

a bit of alright...................................

[ericr]

Originally Posted by Fred K-OR

I totally agree Bill. Enough of this type of stuff in the current news that tell people how to do this sort of thing and worse.

Thing is, Fred, I don't know how much mischief-seeking is new; but yeah, the Internet makes it more achievable.

Back in the late 50s, my brother and I thought if we could just get ahold of a tiny piece of uranium, we would hit it with a sledgehammer and create a nuclear explosion.

We eventually did find a small piece of uranium (in a geology set Dad bought me), but by then, we had talked it up so much we were afraid we would blow ourselves up.

[Gold Digger]

Where I grew up in Arkansas in the 50's people broke there keys off in the steering wheel lock on old Fords made in the 30's and 40's and only used the flip switch to turn them on and off. Also if a kid got to stealing gas the sheriff went to the boy's dad and talked to him and the dad beat the hell out of his son and that was the end of it.

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by ronn

Hoogah,

fantastic translation skills!

a bit of alright...................................

I'm surprised anyone needed that translated.

[dave in australia]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

I'm surprised anyone needed that translated.

I thought it was easy to understand as well.

[C26Pinelake]

Originally Posted by ronn

Hoogah,

fantastic translation skills!

a bit of alright...................................

What does this mean ? Wayne

[ronn]

Wayne,

while in Australia, a beautiful woman walked by and the fella next to me said............

"now that's a bit of alright"!