Photos from {link=http://krqe.com/2015/11/06/albuquerque-mans-1970-classic-muscle-car-stolen/}KRQE.com{link/}

It seems like hot rod theft is on the rise or at least the media is doing more to cover these tales of woe. However, there are things that owners can do to protect their labor of love. Auto thieves are determined, but there are ways to slow them down thus increasing the odds of catching them in the act. Items like the club can be easily defeated, but they can slow the process or possibly deter a less skilled thief. Kill switches are an effective means of slowing down the process and limiting access for would be joyriders.

There are more advanced systems for tracking your vehicle, such as LoJack. These systems are designed to track the vehicle when it is stolen and relay the information to law enforcement. These systems help law enforcement recover your hot rod when it is stolen, but they cannot prevent theft in the first place.

KRQE.com reported the plight of Austin Williams and his 1970 Pontiac LeMans Sport. Williams and his family spent countless hours working on the blue LeMans and they were heartbroken when the vehicle was stolen. The 20-year-old man went to his garage to start up the car, but thieves had taken in the night.

Unlike the average Honda Civic, the blue LeMans is very recognizable thanks to its role in the second season of “Better Call Saul.” Williams kept his hot rod in the garage; this is typically a safer option than parking outside and sometimes insurance companies offer a discount for garage parking. Since elementary school children can figure out how to their automatic garage door, the garage is not the fortress that the insurance company has in mind.

Car enthusiasts need to think about how to protect their investment even when it is parked inside the supposed fortress. With old school lift up garage doors, one simply needs a rotohammer and some large diameter lag bolts. Simply drill through the bottom of the garage door and into the concrete floor below. This will allow the lag bolts to drop through the bottom of the door thus making it harder for thieves to open the garage door from the outside.

Additionally, for those with the older style garage doors one can jamb a 2″ by 4″ through the hinge thus limiting the ability to open the door. With the newer roll up style garage doors, thieves can simply use a piece of metal to reach through the top of the door and pull the emergency lever to bi pass the automatic garage door opener.

With the newer style doors one can simply add a cheap window alarm (found at a discount tool chain), which will make noise when the door is opened. Thanks to the new home automation systems, alarm systems can send an alert with pictures of whoever is entering the garage to a cellphone when the door is opened. Technology can help protect your hot rod or at least notify the owner when the bad guys are attempting to steal your ride.