Any (reformed) car thieves in our ranks?

[Gryphon Rider]

This morning I went out to my truck, and the key for my "The Club" wouldn't turn the lock.  Neither would my wife's key.  I tried lock spray.  I tried a metal-cutting blade in my sawzall, and it barely scratched the shaft and the hook.  I then gave up and begged a ride to work from my wife.

When I get home, I'll try a heat gun on the lock (it's -22°C here), then maybe an angle grinder with a cutting disc.  If it comes down to it, I'll cut through the steering wheel and take a trip to the wrecker for a steering wheel when it warms up later this week  .

This has been a winter for cold-weather car repairs.  At least my house furnace, HWT, and appliances have been behaving this winter.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I hope you didn't just jinx yourself on the furnace. I'm surprised you would need the club up there.

[Valker]

Search on YouTube. They have several videos.

[Serk]

Silly question but The Club just keeps the steering wheel from turning, right? Can you still start the truck and let it idle to warm up in the cab in case it is temperature that's causing the issue?

[Gryphon Rider]

Silly question but The Club just keeps the steering wheel from turning, right? Can you still start the truck and let it idle to warm up in the cab in case it is temperature that's causing the issue?

Of course I could do that, but I'm sure a heat gun will work faster.  There's a lot of thermal inertia in that big chunk of steel.

Search on YouTube. They have several videos.

I've seen a few.  My post is more to air my frustrations than anything else, with a little bit of hope that someone has a brilliant idea based on experience that might not be obvious after a little bit of thought and investigation.

[Oss]

tow to a heated garage and then wait for it to warm up?

[MarkT]

No doubt whatever the angle grinder with abrasive cutter wheel would work.  I haven't seen anything that tool wouldn't cut - goes through hardened tool steel like butter. Shame to ruin the Club though.  I'm surprised you even need it in your location. I suspect the heat gun will work before you need to cut it.  My soln is to drive a 19yr old Exploder no one would steal. Which has electronic lock/alarm system anyway. Besides crime out here on the ranch doesn't happen.

[Gryphon Rider]

No doubt whatever the angle grinder with abrasive cutter wheel would work.  I haven't seen anything that tool wouldn't cut. Shame to ruin the Club though.  I'm surprised you even need it in your location. I suspect the heat gun will work before you need to cut it.  My soln is to drive a 19yr old Exploder no one would steal.  Besides crime out here on the ranch doesn't happen.

No one would steal my truck to sell or part out, as it's old and ugly, but it's perfect to use for committing other crimes.  It's easy to steal without the club.  I live in a city of 1.1 million, and my parents, who live in the same community, have been broken into a couple of times.  I've had a window smashed in this truck.

I should just install a flashing red or blue LED on my dash, to be on when the ignition is off.

[GiG]

Reformed? No, sorry, Caint help you there...

You should heat up the cab, as others have said.

The Club will not deter any self respecting car thief. Last time I saw one was in the movie "Swingers " 1998.

A hacksaw will go through a steering wheel in seconds, replacement wheels are easy to come by.

Why not take the entire wheel off the steering column and work on it in a heated environment?

[Romeo]

I'm with Meathead on this one. Surprised you need The Club up there in Utopia. Iwould have thought Mr. Trudeau would have eradicated what little crime canadians need to deal with. Where's that pesky sarcasm emoji?

[cookiedough]

call the mfg. of the club and ask them why it is not working?  They may say cut it somehow and they will send you out a new one for free?

if due to cold, usually lock de icer spray works for frozen door locks pretty quickly is isopropyl alcohol if not mistaken in a spray bottle that goes into the keyhole area.

try lub oil spray can as well if that lock de icer does not work first.

Unless in crime ridden area, really see no need to use one though if a criminal wants a vehicle bad enough, they will get it regardless of safety measures taken.

keep jiggling the key it might unlock eventually, good luck!! but guessing something internal is broken having to saw off the club

[Psychotic Bovine]

a can of air duster upside down sprayed into the lock. Hit with hammer.  Or a hammer and chisel.

[J.Mencalice]

Are you on friendly terms with any of the local volunteer firefighters?
Jaws of life and about 3 seconds of application.  Butter.  Done.

[mark81]

I stole my brothers Camaro when I was 19 and drove to the great white north of Windsor. That's all the further I made it because you can legally drink at 19 and tittie bars.

he did not have a club and left his keys on the table

[Gryphon Rider]

I stole my brothers Camaro when I was 19 and drove to the great white north of Windsor. That's all the further I made it because you can legally drink at 19 and tittie bars.

he did not have a club and left his keys on the table

I don't think my wife would know how to respond if I renamed The Club the "Anti-Tittie Bar," or maybe, the "Anti-Tittie Bar Bar." 

[The emperor has no clothes]

I stole my brothers Camaro when I was 19 and drove to the great white north of Windsor. That's all the further I made it because you can legally drink at 19 and tittie bars.

he did not have a club and left his keys on the table

I don't think my wife would know how to respond if I renamed The Club the "Anti-Tittie Bar," or maybe, the "Anti-Tittie Bar Bar." 

yeah, you should probably just keep that here among us degenerates.

[Jess from VA]

I used one of those all the time when I had a convertible.  It's probably still around here.... somewhere.  Mine grabbed the wheel and the brake pedal.

It never froze up, but it's a good thing I had the foresight to add another key to the hidden car keys.

[gregk]

Jaws of life ain't a bad thought.  I worked on a lot of locks but im not a locksmith . Try the propane, or map tourch or hair drier or heat gun to get it open and dry it out in the house then add the best gun oil you can get your hands on I hate lock deicer it makes a mess and its junk. If you don't get all the moisture out of the lock it will freeze back up.Best gun oil And great on locks was a K&W product called DOM but due to the chemicals in it it is no more. If you use that angle grinder watch them sparks besides starting a fire if the sparks hit the glass you'll pit it garenteed for sure. 
  As far as using a club up there all I can say is wow.  When I was in your neighborhood once I laughed at a guy covering up his Harley with a Honda Cover at a Motel and he said if the idiots seen it was a Harley it would be gone or stripped by morning. For those not knowing Calgary is no little town.

[Gryphon Rider]

About a minute with the heat gun on the low setting got it unlocked. Yay!

Just to give you guys an idea of the value of my truck, here's a Google Streets pic of it a few years ago. It has since increased in value with added patina.



If you look closely, you can see the Club^TM in question.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I don't think it looks too bad at all. Most of that year and make I've seen have rotted side panels pretty bad. Yours seems to be holding up pretty well. 

[Gryphon Rider]

My diligence in crime prevention actually earned me an award at the company Christmas party this year!

[Oldfishguy]

I like the truck; it kind of reminds me of this truck I saw in one of my favorite movies.  

https://youtu.be/uBpw1sdFu2w

[MP]

No doubt whatever the angle grinder with abrasive cutter wheel would work.  I haven't seen anything that tool wouldn't cut - goes through hardened tool steel like butter. Shame to ruin the Club though.  I'm surprised you even need it in your location. I suspect the heat gun will work before you need to cut it.  My soln is to drive a 19yr old Exploder no one would steal. Which has electronic lock/alarm system anyway. Besides crime out here on the ranch doesn't happen.

We leave all vehicles unlocked, with keys in them, all the time. I'm 62. Have never locked my house. Do not k ow where a key to it is!

[Jopson]

No doubt whatever the angle grinder with abrasive cutter wheel would work.  I haven't seen anything that tool wouldn't cut - goes through hardened tool steel like butter. Shame to ruin the Club though.  I'm surprised you even need it in your location. I suspect the heat gun will work before you need to cut it.  My soln is to drive a 19yr old Exploder no one would steal. Which has electronic lock/alarm system anyway. Besides crime out here on the ranch doesn't happen.

We leave all vehicles unlocked, with keys in them, all the time. I'm 62. Have never locked my house. Do not k ow where a key to it is!

Same here, I like to think the cold in this part of the world keeps the riff-raff out!

[Rams]

Reformed?   Does "not" having been caught count?   

Will get back to you once I've spoken with my lawyer............... 

[mark81]

they will still steal a truck with patina.





They tried to get mine only reason they didn't was I had pulled the engine the day before. couldn't leave it on the lift at work so I pushed it in the lot until I had time to work on it again. they did steal my diamond plate toolbox, battery, radiator, manifolds, oil pan, and all the other parts I had lying in the bed. even stole the junk wheels I had propping up the front of the transmission. cost me a hell of a lot more than the $15 they got from the scrapyard for my stuff

[Rams]

They tried to get mine only reason they didn't was I had pulled the engine the day before. couldn't leave it on the lift at work so I pushed it in the lot until I had time to work on it again. they did steal my diamond plate toolbox, battery, radiator, manifolds, oil pan, and all the other parts I had lying in the bed. even stole the junk wheels I had propping up the front of the transmission. cost me a hell of a lot more than the $15 they got from the scrapyard for my stuff

Mark,
You wouldn't just happen to have the keys for that tool box would ya? 

[mark81]

They tried to get mine only reason they didn't was I had pulled the engine the day before. couldn't leave it on the lift at work so I pushed it in the lot until I had time to work on it again. they did steal my diamond plate toolbox, battery, radiator, manifolds, oil pan, and all the other parts I had lying in the bed. even stole the junk wheels I had propping up the front of the transmission. cost me a hell of a lot more than the $15 they got from the scrapyard for my stuff

Mark,
You wouldn't just happen to have the keys for that tool box would ya? 

Sure do. I'll sell it to you for $300 I paid for the box.  I've been looking at every box I've seen in the last 6 years for mine.  somebodies gonna bleed for my loss if I ever see it.

[The emperor has no clothes]

They tried to get mine only reason they didn't was I had pulled the engine the day before. couldn't leave it on the lift at work so I pushed it in the lot until I had time to work on it again. they did steal my diamond plate toolbox, battery, radiator, manifolds, oil pan, and all the other parts I had lying in the bed. even stole the junk wheels I had propping up the front of the transmission. cost me a hell of a lot more than the $15 they got from the scrapyard for my stuff

Mark,
You wouldn't just happen to have the keys for that tool box would ya? 

Sure do. I'll sell it to you for $300 I paid for the box.  I've been looking at every box I've seen in the last 6 years for mine.  somebodies gonna bleed for my loss if I ever see it.

When I was 16 I saved my money for 6 months for big, wide tires and rims for my 59 Chevy pickup. Somebody stole them 2 days later. I think I looked at every set of tires for the next 10 years. I'm getting mad again just thinking about it.

[Jess from VA]

Someone stole my '67 Dodge van off the huge university (required parking for all campus/dorm residents) parking lot, after I fixed it all up with paneling, insulation, carpeting, bed, storage box, sink, tires, stereo, and paint.  It was like the 10th car stolen out there that school year.  I wrote a letter to the school newspaper, which was published, complaining about the number of thefts and the poor campus police protection, and said I was going to steal a car a week to prove how lax the policing was.  Boy they had me down to the campus PD interview room trying to sweat me on stealing cars.  I told them that was only a hollow threat to get better enforcement (it was), but they were pissed.  I told them I was pissed too.  This was before cameras. 

That van was never recovered, and I looked for it in local traffic for the next several years.  Once, I spotted the same make and model with the same bright green Earl Sheib paint waiting at a light.  I threw my car in park and sprinted up to the van, but on close observation, it was not mine.  The driver thought I was a crazy person and locked his door. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Someone stole my '67 Dodge van off the huge university (required parking for all campus/dorm residents) parking lot, after I fixed it all up with paneling, insulation, carpeting, bed, storage box, sink, tires, stereo, and paint.  It was like the 10th car stolen out there that school year.  I wrote a letter to the school newspaper, which was published, complaining about the number of thefts and the poor campus police protection, and said I was going to steal a car a week to prove how lax the policing was.  Boy they had me down to the campus PD interview room trying to sweat me on stealing cars.  I told them that was only a hollow threat to get better enforcement (it was), but they were pissed.  I told them I was pissed too.  This was before cameras. 

That van was never recovered, and I looked for it in local traffic for the next several years.  Once, I spotted the same make and model with the same bright green Earl Sheib paint waiting at a light.  I threw my car in park and sprinted up to the van, but on close observation, it was not mine.  The driver thought I was a crazy person and locked his door. 

[Gryphon Rider]

they will still steal a truck with patina.

They tried to get mine only reason they didn't was I had pulled the engine the day before. couldn't leave it on the lift at work so I pushed it in the lot until I had time to work on it again. they did steal my diamond plate toolbox, battery, radiator, manifolds, oil pan, and all the other parts I had lying in the bed. even stole the junk wheels I had propping up the front of the transmission. cost me a hell of a lot more than the $15 they got from the scrapyard for my stuff

Now for sure I'm gonna put The Club^TM back in the truck, once I'm sure the moisture has evaporated.  Thanks for strengthening my resolve!  Maybe I'll still add a flashing LED.

[sheets]

I've been driving a `73 rust bucket VW bug as a daily driver for twenty-plus years. I have a Club device in there. When at the office and had to leave town for a couple-few days I'd install the Club just for giggles. It got a lot of attention around the office. Lost the key years ago . . . just for looks. And it got a lot of looks. Good for a laugh.