So, here I am, over at my buddy Andrew's house, getting ready to retire for the night, and I get a phone call. It's 1:48 AM and I don't recognize the number. Up for a little humor, I decide to answer it, expecting a telemarketer or something. "This is the Tucson Police Department, may I ask who am I speaking to?" "This is Tyler." "Tyler, do you own a 1987 Chevrolet Camaro?" "Yes, yes I do." "Is the vehicle with you?" "Yea, it should be right outside." "What's the address you're at?" "350 E Wetmore, Northpointe Apartments, Apartment ****" "Well, we have an officer who thinks he's with the car." Tyler scrambles with the locks on the door to get outside. He looks off the balcony to where his car *was* parked. "Ohmigod. It's gone. My ****ing car is gone. Oh my god. Oh God. Is it all right? Where is it?" "Hold on. Let me get back on the line with the officer." Tyler paces up and down the sidewalk. Unsure of whether to cry or to destroy something. "Are you still there?" "Yes." "Well, the officer says the steering column is busted. The car isn't drivable." "Did he say anything else? Is anything else wrong?" "He didn't mention anything else. Wait. Hold on." Tyler is having a panic attack. "He says it's still running. You can come pick it up if you want." "Where is it?" "Well, the car is at Holmes and Arcadia." "I don't know where that is." "Hold on. Let me get the block numbers." The officer tells me numbers Tyler doesn't understand normally, let alone in a panic. "What's the nearest major roads?" "Uh, it's just north of East Broadway and West of Craycroft." "Thank you. We're on our way. Who should we call if we have problems finding it?" "You can just call 911, and ask for the police." "Holmes and what?" "Arcadia." "Thank you." Yes. Yes you read right. My car was stolen. Me and Andrew got in Nikki's car and headed down to the area where it is. We both forgot the crossroads, and only remembered Holmes. I am about having a baby in the passenger seat, royally freaking out. We get on Craycroft and are driving southbound and we pass Holmes, and I see three cop cars on the opposite side of the road. We pull a u-ey and pull up. I pop out of the car asking if this is where the stolen car was. Nope. Just some poor kid getting arrested for DUI. Bet I made him feel better about his night. We flip another u-ey and head down Holmes. We see taillights down the road, and pull up. It's the cop. He waves us to the side, we confirm this is the stolen car, and follow him down the block to it. God. Word's can't comprehend. The car was pulled up on the curb, still running. Both of my T-Tops are ****ed up, one had the handle used as an o-**** bar, and was ripped flat out of the car. $300-400 The steering column is destroyed. $??? Turned the car off with a screwdriver that wasn't mine. All of my papers are missing from the inside. Insurance, registration. A couple of misc. car parts. All gone. Looks like everything for the serpentine setup was there. Hopefully. I dunno. They stole my flashlight out of the roof. $75. It looks like everything except all of my stuff out of my center console is still in the car. Plus a bunch that wasn't mine. Looks like they robbed a contractor. Bunch of heavy duty tools. Generator. Car reeks. Smells like beer. All over. There's grease everywhere. At least the car is in one piece. I point out everything damaged to the cop, he writes it down, he leaves and we wait for the tow truck. It takes a while, but the truck finally shows up. He's got a blazer in the back of the car, so that means my car would be a tag-along, and knowing how easily the front bottoms out, I volunteer to follow him and drive the car to the yard. It's currently there. Waiting for me to come photograph and retrieve it. But I need a place to park it where it'll be safe. **** me. **** me sideways. This is Tyler. Signing out. P.S. : If anyone knows where to get a reinforced steering column so it'd be harder to break, please tell me. If you have one, I will buy it. Just let me know. Thanks guys.

Sh*t man. Sorry to read the story. My is after you fix the things muffed up by the *** pirates who stole your car you could buy a MSD box (6A OR 6AL) and put the valet RPM chip in at night. Thieves wouldn't know why your car doesn't run right above 1000 rpms.
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Correction. The 6AL's valet mode is at 1500rpm

B##tards String em up and let the buzzards have their fill

damn dude that suxx idn what id do if my car got stolen...are you gunna post pics of the damages

it sucks how easy these cars are stolen i work at a grocery store out in bfe and theres alot of construction, seems everyday i pull up there are a ton of illegals just watchin me thinkin how they can steal my poor car, or there just thinkin what it would look like if they saw zawed the top off and put some 100spoke 13" daytons on it....

I would be Pissed. I would go out there and just blow up. Whoever stole your car better not try again. Do you Have an alarm in the car? I am going to get one if they can prevent a theft like what happened to you. So get some pictures of it. I am guessing the guy who did it didn't get caught.

The cop saw the car doing 110 down one of the main roads. Flipped on his cherries, and they bolted into a rezzie, probably going fast enough to kill both of the drunk bastards. Cop found the car abandoned in a cul-de-sac. They bought some brand new tools to commit the theft, all from a Checker Auto. So I'm gonna ask the local Checkers if they sold the items last night.

Don't have an alarm. Will soon. Also gonna try to reinforce the steering column if I can't find a reinforced one. I'm tempted to just have the T-Tops welded to the car. I dunno. It's messed up. All original plastic, T-Tops, everything. Thrashed by two drunk ****ing pieces of **** who wanted a ****ing joyride. I ****ing hate people.

Bummers! But in a way predictable, given the high theft rate of pre-VAT GM cars, especially Camaros and Corvettes.

Here's what I'd do if parked on the street, driveway, front/back yard, parking garage or in a locked garage [I do at least two of these even in my garage]:

1. Install a brake pedal lock.
2. Install a ignition column lock.
3. Install a kill switch someplace in the ignition or trans lockout circuit.
4. Install a noisy alarm system.
5. Don't leave stereo faceplate, CD's, registration, etc, in the car.
6. Oh, another little trick that frustrates thieves and carjackers is removing that little plastic rod under the shift handle. Can't shift tranny without it.
7. Finally, a removable steering wheel prevents anything except tow-away, pilferage or vandalism.

BTW, I have a set of T-tops suitable for your car. George hasn't responded, so if you want them let me know.

Actually you're pretty lucky -- the car wasn't totaled or stripped, or taken across the border, and it still runs. Remember, bad luck often runs in threes ... this is the 2nd recent bad luck since the parking lot accident, so be very careful....

That sucks. I always hated parking my Iroc outside, even though I had a ton of security on it: VIN etched glass, RFID ignition kill, alarm with ignition kill, and VAT.

At least you got it back. Most cars end up in Mexico.

Actually, when I bought the car, I had it two weeks and a friend backed into it with their van. Small dent in the hood. It's still there. Just hard to see. So theft makes it three.

Getting it fixed, and gonna try to get it improved. I want to see if I can get an improved design steering column, car alarm, club, brake lock, and I'm gonna pull the dist cap to coil cable every night.

P.S. Just looked up column locks. Never knew they existed. Ever. Pending response from a supplier I have one on the way. Gonna get that, a brake lock (even though you can shift our cars without holding down the brake),
car alarm, only thing I left in the car was my insurance and registration. And from now on it's going in my wallet.

What do you want for the T-Tops?

$25 is good enough for the T-tops. Don't waste your money on a "club" they're useless. And instead of pulling the coil wire, a hidden kill switch is better. PM me for more info.
Will the insurance pay for some of the damages, like repainting the car from the damage and fixing all the theft-scratches?

What's an "improved" column?

I heard about some that had reinforced areas where they break in, but a column lock will cover all the areas I care about. According to Hawk's I need a column designed for tilt, cruise control, delay wipers, and automatic tranny. I have a feeling that's gonna be the hardest part to find. Hawks also has aftermarket blinker arms, which as far as I can see look like the stock ones, saving me a buttload of money on a GM part. I'll get you the money on my next time up to Kingman. I'm gonna order a column lock as soon as I hear back from a supplier. Which do you have Ed? The Carguard or Lok-Itt? The Lok-Itt looks like it's harder to break off, but the Carguard looks like more total coverage.

for my worth I'd go with duck on this
battery kill switch (only NEED to mount anywhere in-line on negative side of battery)
keep the "little red key" on your keyring
and a big F##king Rottweiller !
Both cheap but effective
good luck on getting the car sorted

ouch man.. hope the po-po catch those bastards.. and i hope insurance pays for the damages..

just another reason to justify a loud car.. half my neighborhood would be able to hear my car start..

Exactly. Granted my car is in a garage, with the alarm armed when its parked. If someone were to get into the house/garage, get the garage door open, and bypass the alarm without me hearing it, there is no way they are going to fire it up without me running through the front door ready to have someone's azz.

Battery kill switches work great on non-computer cars, but force the ECU to "relearn" each time the current is reconnected. I believe Sears and perhaps some other battery distributors have "anti-theft" types of batteries which send a few volts into the system to keep the ECU alive, but not enough to start the car. Have not researched them since my spiral-wound batteries will last for years and years...

A search here on TGO for "kill switch" turns up a bunch of options for disabling the fuel injection, starter, auto trans, or ignition circuits. Any of those discourage in-a-hurry thieves who will bail-out rather than take the time to trouble-shoot why the darn car won't start -- especially if an alarm is screaming in their ears. However, bad guys breaking in cause a bunch of damage, so especially for cars parked on the street, I'd recommend a visual deterrent to let them know there's better opportunities elsewhere ... like a removable steering wheel. Can't drive it away with no wheel, right? Or the bright red column cover.

BTW, send me a PM with your planned NV/AZ travel dates and route and I'll workup some sights and destinations.

I dont think a missing steernig wheel is that much of a deterent ive seen people driving around with vice grips on the shaft and the steering wheel sittin in the passenger seat cause they didnt want to mess with the club

My trick is to make my sister park behind me.

I don't use a column lock at this time, since the car spends so little time on the street. I figure the brake-lock is deterrent enough, since the bad guys know those are about impossible to cut off, given the awkward position they have to work in to use tools [Honolulu has one of the highest vehicle theft rates in the US and I first became aware of brake-locks when the chief of police there recommended using them. The manufacturer had a contest offering $1,000 to anyone able to remove the lock with hand tools within 20 minutes ... a bunch of ex-car-thieves showed up and couldn't do it. Have to cut a hole in the floorboard, cut the brake pedal off, cut the actual lock, or use liquid nitrogen to freeze, then shatter the lock itself. Too much physical work in a very awkward, physically exposed position, makes the car a hard target.

I think for parking a low-value ThirdGen on the street, a combination of loud alarm, column and brake pedal locks would be enough to deter any casual thief. However, if it's a custom/race/high-value car parked on the street, someone, somewhere will try to boost it, even if it means using a tow truck.

You could also install LoJac I believe it's called? It's a GPS oriented system that every cop has access too. So if your car is stolen, they can find out where it is in a matter of seconds. I'd probably have a mental breakdown if my car was stolen... Even though I wish I had T-Tops I don't so I guess that's one thing to always be worried about.

i hear you with that one.. i have shaved handles too so they would have to break the window.. or have a field day climbing through the monkey bars in the back.. oh, and i'm gettin a doberman today!! i also got seperate switches for the fuel pump and vacuum pump.. in the dark, theres no way you would find them.. black switches but right above your head.. lol

Sorry to hear about the car! ;((

I'm always worried about theft, more so since I'm spending a week in Tucson with the parents.
I think Ed's on to something with the brake lock. I have VATS, but someone will destroy the column before figuring out it won't work....

People suck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, Lojack uses a special FCC radio frequency which can penetrate dense shielding, like concrete parking garages and steel shipping containers. It's nice, but costs about $600 for the core unit and an extra $200 for the "immediate notification that your car has been moved" add-on. It's a nice unit and service, but cannot be removed when the car is sold. Only specially-equipped police cars have the LoJac transceiver, and the company web site doesn't have a list of which geographical locations are covered and which are not. I'd suspect major metro areas are covered, but rural areas probably aren't. For the money, I'd go the cheaper route of installing multiple layers of deterrent, as most thieves boost ThirdGens as a convenience, not for stripping and resale like Mercedes, Lexas or Honda.

damn man sorry to hear that hope insurance covers the damage

I know how you feel...I had my car stolen and later got called by someone and it was towing company they found my door..they stripped the car completely.found the door in the desert.You first problem is get out of the apartment scene cause its a shopping center for thieves..almost got my bike stolen too but they didnt see the combination lock through the front brake disc.That neighborhood is bad too its drugville..Craycroft west of Wilmont..My car was stolen early morning and they do that cause you dont notice it gone and they have plenty of time to drive the car without anyone calling the cops, the first time would be when you got up to go to work or somewhere and noticed it gone,by then its miles away..There was a chop shop down on Grant somewhere and the guy who stole my car was running the place.On the good side ,the idiots put the motor into a van and the van got pulled over and they ran the guys name and impounded the van and I got my engine back,but the car shell was in pieces across Tucson somewhere..I remember that feeling when I came out of my apartment and my car was gone...like I just died..worst feeling anybody could deal with..At least you got your ride back..not in the best of shape but rebuildable...

I just heard of this a few years ago. The hot set-up for stealing cars now is to use a tow truck with tilt bed. Back tow truck up to the front or rear of the car you want to steal, pour liquid soap under all 4 tires up to the ramp, hook up the cable and the car is gone. Takes less than 2 minutes and no alarm, club, brake lock can defeat it. This happened to a neighbor 2 times in 2 years and he parked his truck a few feet from his bedroom window. What`s left, chain it to a big tree?

Yeah, I've heard of this being done on high-value cars where they'll be shipped out of country or re-vinned for resale. Chaining to a tree or storm drain won't stop those guys, but the LoJack with the cellphone caller addon will catch up with them. And that's exactly what I'd install if I had to park my Lambo or F-40 on the street, especially in Honolulu or Tucson.

Just bought an unBRAKEable Autolock Pro. $60 Step 1. Now I can park it and not fear it being stolen immediately. Thing sticks in our cars pretty good. I tried kicking it around to move it outta the way. I got a little budge, but the brake was still firm. Gonna get a Lok-Itt column lock tomorrow, as well as putt around and get some repair quotes. I have no doubt I could do it myself, but finding the parts is most likely the hard part here.

Ed, my buddy is going up to Kingman tomorrow. I'm gonna give him my $25 and have him get the tops from you. PM me your address. I know how to get there, but I don't know exactly where it is.

PM sent.
Bet you could get the column parts from a supplier here on TGO, or perhaps buy a complete column from a salvage car pretty cheap. Always good to have spare parts on hand. BTW, here's the Grant removable steering wheel setup for ThirdGens. A bit expensive, about $300, but would discourage drive-aways. Notice the unit has a locking cover and there is no exposed stub to put vise grips on. I see the company used a photo of an actual ThirdGen...

I like the removable steering wheel. A buddy had one on his lifted 4x4 Toyota Truck, but then I'd lose my factory steering wheel. Which I love bunches.

I bought my RS with the column destroyed ...someone tried to steal it from previous owner and I had to repair the column ...my car has the VATS and I have some left over parts if you decided to rebuild the column.I had to order a column kit ..I got it from J & S in Scottsdale...1-800-528-5420..dont know if they are still in business ,but give them a try.The kit was cheap like 30-40 bucks if I remember..

Ed,
Thanks a lot for the great deal on the tops, but one of my problems is the thieving jackals destroyed one of my lock tumblers. Any clue on where I can get a new set without breaking the bank?

Also, have any idea how much it'd cost to get the new tumblers keyed to my door key?

If this were me.I would find them, tie them up face up on the ground with a cider block on each side of their head. Place a ramp against said cinder block,proceed to drive my car so the rear wheels were just about where their faces were and then do a big fat bloody burnout, yeah.... that would make me feel better. I hope they catch the pricks. I'm sorry bro.

Old justice was best. Just wanna cut off their right hands. I bet they wouldn't steal again if they thought they'd lose the other.

I googled it and found Eckler's Camaro Parts has the new lock stuff. I'm sure there are others.

www.ecklerscamaro.com

Camaro Ignition Lock Cylinder, With Black Bezel, 1984-1989
Replacement Lock Cylinder
Item# 726141
$24.99 ea.

Camaro Door Lock Set, 1986-1992
Replacement Lock Cylinders
Keys Included
Item# 735130
$24.95 pr.

It's also possible a junkyard door lock could be reprogrammed to your existing key, so that might be a cheaper alternative.

Dunno how much a locksmith charges, but it should be easy. Cheapest is to buy the new lockset which comes with keys. No locksmith needed then.

Next time you come up to Kingman, I'll show you some kill switch ideas. You need those hidden "discouragements" for a street-parked non-vat car.

Read the story...that sucks dude. I'm lucky that when my 3rd gen isn't being driven its garaged kept, except when I'm at the G/F's house, but she lives in a pretty good neighborhood, were people don't pull that S--t.

Hope everything gets straightened out.

They didn't damage the door locks. They destroyed the T-Top lock cylinder. I found a set on ebay for $45. I guess that's as good as it gets.

The Tow Yard numbers on my windsheild.

Greasy fingerprints. ****ing scum.

More greasy fingerprints. I hope they die.

Prints the cop lifted. Vengeance.

Cleanest print came from right here.

Where they punctured my weatherstripping with a screwdriver to open my door.

The missing weatherstripping. $80 worth of weatherstripping right there. ****ing *******s.

Grease. Everywhere.

All over the console, including a thick layer of dry beer.

Said dry beer.

Missing T-Top handle. Ripped out or unscrewed, unknown. *******s.

Poorly picked lock. Frozen up. Can't unlock with key.

My steering column. I pull back on the silver thing to start the car.

My windshield wiper switch.

My turn signal, cruise control, and wiper arm.

New theft protection.

Fear the unBRAKEable Autolock Pro

damn thats some damage...idn about an unBRAKeable car...if they really wanted the car they can use the e-brake to slow down or something...IMO

Ebrake on a 87? Hahaha. They didn't fix the parking brake until the PBR calipers. It stops just enough to keep the car from going when it's in drive. Any gas eliminates that. Yea, they could engine brake it the whole time, but backing out of a parking space and turning through an apartment complex with bad drivers makes that REALLY difficult. You might blow the engine, but you're not gonna be able to stop when that guy pulls out in front of you.

slap a Lok ITT Column lock on it and hope for the best. I have had two cars stolen in Chicago and this was the only thing that kept the car where I parked it. I see LOK ITTs on ebay once in a while...

Good luck with your baby,
POZ

I'll have one here in exactly one week. Getting an alarm installed after I get the new column. Biggest issue currently appears to be the window being oddly set and the fact I think they bottomed out over a seven inch high speedbump at obscene speeds.

So I got my new T-Top handles in to replace the one that was ripped off, in the optimistic thought that it might be saveable. Well, the jury is in, it's done. They literally pulled the handle off, breaking the screw right at the top of the threads, which are nice and recessed. It also looks like the silver mount for the handle is twisted, and I don't think the handle would sit on it right anyway.

****ing savages. Looks like I'll be using those Lexan tops, at least for a while, but until then I still need to get locks for them, and I need to get the broken T-Tops off of the car. >.< I hate people. I really, really do.

WOW man, that sucks. I'm glad that you got your car back and that they didn't strip it of anything extremely expensive. I hate people that steal. I'm sorry that you had to go through that experience.

I work with a guy that deals stolen parts. I know this because he tried selling me stolen TT2's at work one day. (Said he bought them off a guy with a thirdgen). When I went to his house to look at the wheels, a truck rolled up with like 5 or 6 sets of wheels in the back. When I asked about it, the guy told me he deals with people in California and could get me any kind of car part I wanted, for cheap. I left and said I wasn't interested.

Two days ago, he caught wind that I got a polished HSR. Asked me where I bought it and how much I paid. I just told him I got it used off eBay. Today at work, he started asking me how much I paid, and what they sell for. He owns a 4th gen, and would have no reason for wanting to know this stuff. He doesn't even know anything about cars, mechanically.

This is got me on the "security scare." It pisses me off to think that someone would steal something that I worked my *** off to get. I have high morals, I guess.

Because of this, I'll never be driving my camaro to work. Ever.
I'll be getting the column shield and brake pedal shield this week.

Knowing someone is a thief and not anonymously "dropping the dime" to take him out of circulation sounds really weird to me...

Damn, that sucks big time.
Grant makes a remavable steering wheel adapter (not sure if it works with OEM steering wheels though)

Remove the wheel, install the cover, and take the wheel with you.

I got my Lok-Itt column lock yesterday (Wednesday), and I'll be getting my new column tomorrow (Friday). The lock that comes with the Lok-Itt column is coincidentally the same lock (just a plane jane of the version) that Classic Industries sells with a red bowtie engraved and powdercoated red. Think I'm gonna buy it.

Got Ed's Lexan tops, they have the best stripping, so they're going on the car during all of these repairs. Bought a set of glassies for $50. No key. From different years too. Same hold down, but the internals are different. Also, noted that there's a metal shield to make these hard to steal while in the car. Which means I get the fun of drilling mine out while it's still in the car. Yay!

Gonna salvage these glass tops to rebuild my originals. Then I'm gonna have a nice set of Lexans for the street drags, and the glass for a DD. Then a spare pair with random parts just in case.

Still looking for a mint OHC flashlight. One reply to my parts wanted post, and the guy stopped responding when I asked for a close up of his best light.

Detailed the driver and center console. Still need to do passenger. Too hot outside. Also, locked keys in the car, and now I need to replace my window felt (the tow truck guy was a little rough with the tools). Does anyone have a recommendation for replacement window felt/window sweeps?

Still need to find out if it's my U-joints or my rear. Gonna do that this weekend. Heck, maybe tomorrow.

search ebay, I got mine for like 30 I think. REAL nice stuff. I live in MA, and I learned that the guy that makes them is from around here. He does great work. I have them on my car and I would use them again.

Hmm. Couldn't find anything on a quick search on ebay. Then again, this part goes by many names. If you remember what his seller name was, let me know.