Bolting stereo for anti-theft

[eldog]

Wooooo-Hooooo! Christmas came a little early for me! Got a new stereo and some new speakers.
My New Kenwood (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-XIgqB42Aien/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=113MPV622)

Probably going to install this over the weekend. Gonna put it in the factory dash location. I was thinking of making some sort of custom bracket that can be bolted to the underside of the dash or firewall and then to the unit. Maybe use some sort of locking device or something to make it extremely difficult to be removed.

Most stereo housings have threaded holes in the sides for various installation applications. Was thinking of using one of these to mount my bracket to. Maybe trying some loctite or looking for a special kind of bolt that can't be removed with a normal screwdriver.

I've never had any problems with theft and I keep my Jeep in my Garage, but just wondered if anyone has ever tried such a think before.

[Jeepin' Rock Climber]

Maybe try to incorporate the factory bolts that hold the original radio in place? They're only accessable by removing the defrost vent panel and unbolting and they bolt to the back of the stock radio.

Keep us informed what you do!

[eldog]

Yeah, my crutchfield instructions say that I have to cut out a bracket that supports the factory radio. I haven't pulled it out yet to look around in there, so I'll have to wait and see what there is to work with. I'll post an update with pictures if I come up with anything good. Thanks for the idea.

[cueball]

But even though you are securing the stereo, it is still visible.. a potential thief will not know it is secured until they try to rip it out.. then they will be P.O’d and may cause damage.. in my opinion – if you have an aftermarket stereo worth $$, out of sight.. out of mind.. (read: tuffy)

[CMSurfer]

I would think that the head unit having a detachable face would deter most thieves. What's the use of a stereo without the face-plate???

Either way, if you figure something out, let us know.

CM.

[eldog]

It has a detachable face, that will be removed but probably locked in the factory glove box. Just thought I'd make it harder to remove is all. I'm not going to carry some faceplate around. And I keep it in the garage. The only place I can think of where it might get stolen is at the mall or movies.

[dillonjm]

Originally posted by eldog:
...or movies. That's where they tried to get mine. Didn't use the unlocked doors, thought it would be better to cut my windows and crawl in that way I guess... :rolleyes: Sad thing is, the stereo was worth 80 bucks new, MAYBE, and it was about 2 years old. The damage caused ran up near 600 bucks though, they cut the rear quarter window, ripped off the dash bezel, and were working on the stereo (obvious by the damage) when it looks like they got spooked and ran away. They never did get my cheapo stereo lol. Oh well, I guess you don't become a thief by being smart.

[applesun230]

Have you considered installing a Beaver Trap behind the stereo, this way if some tries to stal it you have 5 good finger prints

[90 WRANGLER]

Another vote for cheap unit installed loosely. Beefing up in the factory hole is an invitation for more damage. Your best bet is to leave a cheepo decoy in that hole and mount the good stuff in a Tuffy.

[99TJMike]

Originally posted by 90 WRANGLER:
Another vote for cheap unit installed loosely. Beefing up in the factory hole is an invitation for more damage. Your best bet is to leave a cheepo decoy in that hole and mount the good stuff in a Tuffy. When I lived in Cincinnati, I had an 81 Olds cutlass and worked in a low life suburb. I bought a $25 audiovox radio and stuffed it into the dash with 2 pieces of cardbord and left the doors unlocked. I figured if someone wanted it, they can open the doors and take the radio with no damage. on one took my radio but a couple guys with kenwoods and alpines had busted windows, ripped up dashes and stolen radios.

[TheDeadP]

or you can hope any theives (hope there is not) are morons. i had my stereo almost stolen. they managed to crack the plastic trim and used a crow bar to pry the stereo out when all they had to was unscrew two small screws. the theives got away with the face plate and three cd's. every time i think of that i laugh cause what good is a stereo when you crush the top down on a cd player just to get it out. i went out and bought a better one for less than what i paid for the broken one.

[Jeepin' Rock Climber]

Originally posted by CMSurfer:
I would think that the head unit having a detachable face would deter most thieves. Nope. My Jeep got broken into last summer (well, no top/doors on...) and all they took was my face plate, which was in my center console. :mad:

[Justin M]

Detachable faces are more or less useless.

Kenwood will sell you a new one for $50. They don't even ask for proof of ownership.

I have a Kenwood with the MASK feature, where it turns the entire face inwards. In low lighting, it looks like there's nothing there at all..

If I had to do it over again, though, I would have put it in an overhead console. I may still move it -- I just have to find something to put in the hole. smile.gif

[Justin M]

Oh yeah... someone else mentioned it... but if you have a soft-top... don't lock the doors.

An $800 soft-top or $200 plastic windows usually aren't worth a $300 stereo. If they're going to break in, they're going to break in. Might as well try to limit the damage...

If you really want to leave the face plate in the vehicle, you might want to consider one of the several locking 'trunk' boxes. The glove box and center console are useless as far as security goes - and the thieves will look there first.

One other place, which has worked for me through two break-ins.. put the face plate on the floor between the drivers seat and the body. I put velcro on the plastic storage box for the faceplate, and velcroed it to the body. Then it's out of sight, and they never seem to find it.

[JeepOIIIIO]

the only thing I have for security while I am at home is a watch dog and a 7.62 rifle! once I leave the jeep is vunerable to anything :( never had a stereo stolen, but had a subwoofer yanked out (should have bolted it in good) now I have an amp and newer subwoofer from my YJ and I dont even know if I want to try to install it on my TJ..I have the soundbar but that doesnt give the full range of sound I want!

[Imrubicon]

as for Detachable faces if you get enough of them and radios without a face plate you will get a match which is why they steal the fronts from best buy and such.radios without the face plate also add up numbers.I would feel the more you bolt it in the hole tyhe more damage they will do getting it out as they dont care if they rip your dash apart getting it (stereo) out of the dash JMHO

[fortz]

don't ditch the factory one. remove the face off of it and use some pins glued on to gently place it over top of whatever aftermarket one you have. in most situations it will appear you have factory gear. also, don't put your face plate in your glovy or counsol, leave both unlocked. put your faceplate in a different location like velcro'd under the dash or under a seat velcro'd to the bottom. they'll hopefully not open you unlocked doors cuz of the factory appearing stereo but if they do they will hopefully not find your faceplate. good luck. kris

p.s. you don't have to take that factory brace out. on my '02 i just removed it and tweaked it slightly so it can still be used to bolt my deck to. it was hard as hell though to get my deck bolted to it.

[TJ_in_TX]

Think alarm w/motion sensor and noticeable blinking red light. I don't think extra bolts in the dash will deter a determined thief. Alarm might.

[TJ_in_TX]

Think alarm w/motion sensor and noticeable blinking red light. I don't think extra bolts in the dash will deter a determined thief. Alarm might.

[eldog]

THanks for the suggestions. I just installed it normally without trying to bolt it in. I think I'll use that velcro idea with the faceplate. I did the same thing with my garage door opener. I double stick taped it under the console up in front of my gear shifter. You can't see it at all, but you can lean down and reach your hand in there to push the button. I'll do something like that with my faceplate case under the seat or dash.

[JeepOIIIIO]

A few weeks ago I noticed that on my sony x-plod (the one with the face that folds down and blacks out when powered down) has a crack in the piece that holds it in the dash area. so it now flops around loosely. I dont know if it was like this when I bought it but it now wiggles around in there bad...how do I remove that big piece of dash to start fixing the problem? I have a 97 and I do not have a clue!

[eldog]

I'm sure it's just like in my '03. You have to remove the long skinny plastic piece where your windshield meets your dash. It should just pop out. Then, you'll see two bolts in the center of the dash under this piece. Take those out and the middle dash section should just pop right out. Pull from the top.

[Imrubicon]

Older TJ's than 03 also may have a screw behind the ashtray???