SS 81 SC

Hi,

as the new owner of a 1981 SC, I am contemplating various theft deterrent options. One of them is an aftermarket alarm system. I have found a local place that does installs for a lot of high end cars. I am concerned about creating more problems with my SC and have searched through the archives already to see what potential problems might come up. I am curious to hear from people who installed an alarm and would not do it again...or people who are very happy because nothing else has gone wrong.

Thanks in advance.

RANDY P

Long winded response time -

Adding an alarm is a good way to get a piece of mind, I added one to my 81 since I'm paranoid when I'm out and about. Every vehicle I've owned over the last 12 years has had one, one of which since 1990 (Clifford) that has gone through 4 cars. Never a problem, once you understand how they work.

Contrary to what some may think adding an alarm typically doesn't involve a lot of cutting and intrusion into the factory wiring- nor is it going to burn your car down unless you get a real hack installer or shop doing your work this isn't an issue. On a proper, very basic install (just hood, and door trigger) there are literally only 3 wires that require splicing into the factory harness. As long as you don't go crazy with options, there shouldn't be much that can disable your vehicle, or set it on fire, or kill your battery, make your wipers stay on or your tires to go flat - you get the picture. Properly set up, it won't leave you stranded.

Obviously, and most important - you want a reputable shop that has been in biz forever, that can stand behind the work in the event of component failure - your biggest threat. Most shops typically cover labor for a lifetime, but it's no good if they're out of biz.

1)Stay with a major brand name, which I'm sure is gonna be DEI (directed electronics ) since they also own / manufacture Clifford now and Alpine's stuff. Not a big DEI fan but, do we have a choice anymore? Reason being is you can service it down the road. By nature of their occupation, remotes break, sensors can fail, etc. etc. This will happen, should be years down the road. Just make sure it's a big company so you can get parts.

2) This point will be contested by someone, but it's recommended that the shop run the power and ground for the alarm STRAIGHT TO THE BATTERY. Not off an accsy. lead underdash. You're drawing the power straight off the source, with no possiblity of interruption anywhere EXCEPT at the battery, plus you're not violating the #1 rule concering installation - never tap into a factory wire unless you NEED to. Lesser shops will pull power from underdash, claiming it's "cleaner looking" in reality it's the lazy way to do it, nor is it safe for the car (you're pulling voltage from the factory wiring!), or security (easier to kill power to alarm like this)

3) Options- since the car is a stick, starter kill technically isn't necessary. Have it on mine, but just because it was included with the basic job. Light flash is nice as a visual confirmation, esp. at night - have this done. Also recommend pins on the hood and trunk - to protect the battery and siren from attack. To complete the package something to consider is a battery backup of some sort. Backup siren is nice if they manage to disable the battery or cut the siren (when wired properly!) it will trigger on it's own, and the only way to shut it off is a special key you have to put into the siren itself. Only problem is, backup sirens only live for a year or two, so to ensure that you're always protected you're replacing it now and then. Plus, you're also always forgetting to disable it before you go to the shop so you **** everyone off when they kill the battery and it freaks out. Oh well..

Either way, it's good as long as the workmanship is there. That's really the point behind all of this.

good luck

rjp

emac

Stewart
I have had alarms on most all of my cars, and then one day as I was walking through a local mall I heard one wailing. Guess what--no one looked or seemed to notice.
As a retired P/O I can guarantee that if they want it, it's theirs!!
In my opinion the best thing one can do is a well hidden kill switch.

SS 81 SC

Randy...thanks for the most informative post. I had looked at your car a few times online before I decided to purchase mine. As you mention, the biggest thing will be the quality of the install and I think the shop I'm using for my stereo knows what they are doing. Heck, they just finished a custom stereo on a 2002 Porsche Turbo worth $37,000 so my little job should be a cinch.

Ernie...I hear what you are saying. I think that there are so many bad alarm jobs out there that people ignore those darn alarms because they are typically false. It's always 'crying wolf'

Thanks again guys...happy motoring.

RANDY P

Anytime Stewart.

Just post pics when you're done.

cheers.

rjp

rich 36

Helpful hint, get the siren installed somewhere you can hear it, ie not in the front, if you have a whaletale, there is room actually inside there, and yes Emac, a kill switch under the dash or between the seats somewhere, perhaps simply to cut power to the fuel pump in the front that cars going nowhere!

Ron_H

Try Lojack. The crooks take the car without damaging it, and a few minutes to an hour later, the cops arrive to take them to the slammer. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I get my car back relatively unharmed. The cops get to bust some bad guys. The judge gets to badmouth somebody. The Lojack inventor gets his commission for providing a meaningful service. And the crooks get to scratch their heads and wonder what they did wrong <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> Even the people supplying the jail with food win. Good for the economy. <img border="0" alt="[bigbye]" title="" src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" />

cmoss

What's the car worth? A new Toyota Corrola costs more than most SC's.
Save your money and perhaps just go for the "Kill Switch"

RANDY P

The single best thing you can do is just simply minding where you keep the car. No leaving it in a deserted parking lot at night, or parking in popular stalls during the day. If you gotta go somewhere where there's traffic (malls on Saturday) take your other car (my other ride is a ROACH) or ride with someone else. It's no so much theft these days, it's dings and assorted careless damage that's a problem. Keep away from people who don't share the same regards for their own cars.

Don't park car out of sight for long periods of time, and park so it's away from others so if the alarm is heard, it's for real.

It's not so much that the cars have a finite value, they do, but where in the hell are you find a 22 year old SC that's a comparable / nice enough replacement esp. on what any Insurance co. will pay in the event of loss? That ugly fact is enough reason alone to do everything possible to prevent theft and damage. These things (nice ones, at least) aren't exactly common anymore - and super nice ones are priced accordingly.

And kill switches? Why would you want to totally sever a major power line to a fuel pump or critical ignition component? What happens if your contacts go bad / connections fail or the switch fails? Especially if you're driving? Most installation shops and virtually every security system manufacturer shuns any practice of active interruption of any critical operation components - like fuel pump or ignition. Reason? - it's simply unsafe.

just my $.02

rjp

GMS

Randy, All alarm/immobiliers, including Porsche's factory units, disconnect the fuel pump and or the ignition system.

My own view on alarms, having seen some "interesting" installations, is that unless the factory installed it don't bother.
If, repeat, if you can find someone with lots of experience in Porsche alarm fitting, only solders/heat shrinks any splices, has all the factory wiring diagrams, then maybe I would think about it.

RANDY P

GMS -

You are correct on the Factory unit. If the factory does it, then it's warranted and built that way. That's the factory, end of story. However, in this instance we are talking about a vehicle that is requiring added benefits the 81 factory alarm doesn't have - and subsequently requires a non factory addition to the vehicle

My perspective is that of an aftermarket alarm installer (my previous line of work) - it is considered poor practice to modify an aftermarket alarm to interrupt power to the ign. system or the fuel pump. Ask any shop - no one recommends / does this as a security measure. Starter disable- OK (disabling the starter will not give you problems if you're moving) The rest / anything that can affect OPERATION OR CONTROL WHILE DRIVING- not OK. All has to do with liability. As stated before, no aftermarket manufacturer (clifford, DEI Alpine, whatever) endorses these practices. To ask an aftermarket shop to do this to your vehicle is like asking a repair shop to have a good catalytic converter removed.

To reitierate my previous posts, in reality to get by with a very basic install- hood, doors without starter disable you can do it without severing a single factory wire in the vehicle - and only 3 wires need to be tapped into. This is a fact. The best installers avoid any unnecessary mods / splices into factory harnesses, that's why we run our own power / ground lines to the battery and all alarm accsy's subsequently are off of those two leads. The reality is, an early 911 (pre 89) is actually quite simple / a normal car at least compared to something like a Mercedes (any) or worse, a Peugot.

Think of it like taking the battery out of the 911 and hooking a radio up to it to try it out - same theory with installation. Not trying to discount the skill reqired or penalites for mistakes, but we have already agreed not to take the car to any hack shops. I echo your sentiments on qualified shops only working on any 911.

Just the facts.

rjp

emac

Randy
Great posts, just wanted to clear something up.
When I mentioned "kill switch" I meant just that, disabling the starter. Should have clarified my statement.

JBrown

i agree with randy. I own two stereo shops and put them in all the time. It is as good as the install. I have an 83sc with 50,000 into it and to top it off it is a cab. I installed the autopage 750 alarm and remote start. i have moduals to work the remote start with stick cars but would not recommend it.I used the unit because the remote has a display and lets me no if the car was tampered with and even lets you know if it was the shock sensor or a door being opened. But if you are looking for peace of mind just install a toggle switch ing kill somewhere.

lateapex911

I have spent many an hour with my head up behind a dashboard, solder dripping on me installing alarms in all sorts of cars. Including my own.

To reiterate, if they want it and they are real pros, they will get it. But a large portion of theives aren't at that level, and there are ways of increasing the odds of twarting them.

IF you decide to go the alarm route, the installer is the single most important factor.

The kill switch is, in my opinion, an very viable route, and I would install one regardless. My car was stolen once and the kill was on the fuel pump. As it was a carbed car, it went a block, then died in the middle of the intersection! Nice attention getter! Needless to say, the thief left on foot, in a hurry!

If you go the alarm route, I strongly recommend a pager, and NO siren. They are really useless, and very annoying. A pager informs YOU, and arguably, you are the only guy who will respond.