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Slim jim blocker?

xcm

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Southern Oregon
Im interested in beefing up security a bit, and YEARS AGO i remember hearing about people modifing the inside of their doors, to make using a slim-jim for emergency/unauthorized entry impossible. basically adding a peice of L-angle inside the door, to physically block the path of a slim jim.


does anyone know anything about these on a later model xj door? or even what theyre called on the street so i can google smarter??

im thinking about also removing the door lock cylenders, replacing with carrage bolts. and wiring up a keyless entry system.

anyone got advice?
 
no, just starting to get nice things.

as the saying goes, just because im paranoid, doesnt mean theres not a bunch of scumbags out there.
 
Wasn't it Churchill that said, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you?"

The best ideas I can think of for blocking slim-jims would be twofold:

1) A line of rare earth magnets near the top of the door panel, on the inside. A slim-jim is fairly flexible spring steel - the magnets should deflect it away from the lock linkage and toward the door skins (the stronger the better. I haven't tried this.)

2) Make a "scoop guard" that would go below the beltline weatherstrip. Make it from sheetmetal (aluminum if you want to couple with the magnet idea, I'd think.)

Before you bend the form up, grind the "flying edge" (the one near the window) to a fine edge with a chisel bevel - don't grind the side that will go against the window. Apply a thin layer of felt to the window side, have the bevel inside, and have the whole thing press against the window (to minimise sneaking around. Use strips of spring steel to reinforce the push - or compression springs between the doorskin and the guard - and keep the felt rub strip as thin as possible.)

Fold it to a "lopsided V" shape (kinda like this - "|/") and have it come straight down from the beltline mount, and the other side angle up from the bottom to the window. This should further maximise catching of the slim jim.

Unless you have an inflatable opener (to allow you to look inside - probably half of locksmiths don't even have these) to let you see inside the door and cope with the catcher, you're not going to know what's going on. If you can, make it deep enough that it seemslike you're hitting the linkage - you just can't catch the operating rods and you're probably screwing up (psychological protection as well. Most kids won't do any troubleshooting - they'll just look for an easier mark.) Do this the full width of the beltline in the door, or a bit beyond each end (if the beltline isn't the full width of the door panel) particularly if the lock linkage extends past the edge of the window opening.

The second one is my favourite - I haven't tried the first, but I'm informed it can work reasonably well.

If you're worried about joyriding, take a bit to change the wiring of your ignition switch. Make it all the same colour and the same gage (I like using white, 10AWG.) Why? When kids go to hotwire cars, they don't look for markings telling them which wire is what. They just go by wiring colour at the ignition switch. If they can't pick the wiring apart by colour - next target.

Windows can be replaced with 1/4" or 3/8" polycarbonate - you can swat that stuff with a hammer and it won't break (by contrast, you can take the porcelain bit of a spark plug, do a "scratch and tap," and go right through the tempered/layered safety glass used on cars.) Do the side windows - breaking out a windscreen, rear window, or quarter glass is a bit obvious if they're going to try to joyride (and you can replace that later.)

The rear window can be prised out easily. I haven't devised a simple solution yet - haven't had the opportunity. It's on my list.

Anything else you want to address that I haven't covered yet?
 
I'm gonna be honest here... a slim jim isn't the way to get into an XJ. A long bar and a wedge are the way to go. Ask me how I know ;)

TM61AW.jpg


TM61AW-01L.jpg
 
I'm gonna be honest here... a slim jim isn't the way to get into an XJ. A long bar and a wedge are the way to go. Ask me how I know ;)

Perhaps, but most kids and casual thieves aren't going to have very good tools. Generally, it's a slim jim cut from a long hacksaw blade, a real 'jim, or (worst case) a folding 'jim.

You can't protect from a dedicated thief - they'll find a way in. There's no such animal as 100% security.

But, you can protect from casual intrusion. All locks and wards do is keep honest men honest, and make the usual dishonest man look for easier pickings.

A thief is an opportunist at heart. Aren't you a repo man? You're a bit more dedicated to opening and moving vehicles when the keys are not available, and you'll have more tools to effect that...
 
Aren't smash and grabs more common than people using slim jims? My advice, secure the items inside the vehicle and put in hidden kill switch to make the car impossible to start.
 
Having a bunch of kids who drive XJ's, I'm experienced using a Slim Jim. They aren't THAT easy to use, it's got to be bent correctly, and you have to know the mechanism well enough to figure where to insert it. You can remove a door panel, and looking at the rod from the door lock to the lock mechanism figure it's path. I doubt a magnet would work well in stopping it, as it's rigid enough to push past.

I use the Slim Jim to avoid damage but, I could break a wing or small rear window and be in fasterr. The ignition system is trivial to defeat, thieves will use a hammer and screwdriver and drive off in 20 seconds, it can also be bypassed with a pair of needle nosed pliers. My buddy runs a local Jeep repair shop and I buy a junker every 6 months or so to part out, I've pulled and disassembled a bunch of columns.

All that said, I believe an alarm system, ignition switch, and lockable storage are better solutions.
 
I'm gonna be honest here... a slim jim isn't the way to get into an XJ. A long bar and a wedge are the way to go. Ask me how I know ;)
Yeah, but that's a Mazda 6, not a jeep. Srsly, if the window is up, how do you get that thing by it?
 
The glovebox doesn't count as lockable storage by the way... can break the latch with one hand. I figured my shit wouldn't get jacked if it wasn't in sight, boy was I ever wrong, lost my GPS unit, digital camera, and glovebox lock to a thief last fall.

Also, X2 on avoiding the vehicle being stolen... I would personally put a disconnect on the fuel injection power bus or perhaps a relay to disconnect the CPS. The better hidden the better it'll work, every thief knows how to look for a fuel pump cutout these days. Another one that could work is to set up a disconnect for the power to only a few of the injectors so it'll start up but run like crap and die.
 
I wouldn't worry about slim jims, thieves are using door wedges. Far easier to use than a slim jim, quicker, quieter, no damage and they start at $40 on Amazon, lol.
Took seconds to open my XJ. Also worked like a charm on my brothers BMW 550. Hell, the AAA driver gave me a demo. Scary.
 
I've gotten into my car with 2 sticks. Wedge a bigger one at the top of the door frame so it makes a gap. Then take the little stick and push on the lock lever. Done! Best advice is a master disconnect. Just use it when it's going to sit for awhile or are parking somewhere a break in might happen. You can hide it anywhere. They reset all the radio stations and such when they are turned off. I have one on my car, thats because the wiring is rotting away and drains my battery haha.
 
They can also be used like this
lti.bmp


With manual window cranks I've also dampened my hands and pulled down hard on the glass with a quick tug. I've gotten them open so wide I can reach my hand in.
 
so guys, is there any defenses against this so called wedge?
also, im NOT looking for the mad max look, i allready have a full cage, i dont need any more bars.
 
I still say secure your belongings in some kind of lock box and hide a kill switch. A car has to many soft spots to secure. Breaking a window is so easy and quick. You could put the kill switch inside the lock box. That would be pretty cool.
 
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