Z Car : Tips and Tricks

Joseph R. Demers
Z Car Tips and Tricks IZCC #4072

IZCC #4072

Deadbolt Locks This project actually started as a simple alarm, but in the end, I disconnected the siren and simply rely on these deadbolt locks to prevent theft. I figured that the extra 5 minutes figuring out that there was no way the door was going to open would intimidate any thief and I got tired (as did my neighbors) of the siren going off. It actually appears to have worked once: one morning I came out to find my window molding ripped up and the door dented in around the door handle. The door was slightly ajar, but could not be opened. Whew! Regardless of the theft deterance, it is also nice because you can open the car without using keys which tend to scratch paint. While I will not go into the details of building an alarm, I will show you how you can set up the deadbolts. Then, following instructions with either a keyless entry system or an alarm, you should be able to get it to work with a lot less trouble than I had. All the electronic components for this were purchased from either Parts Expressor MCM Electronics. Go to their WWW pages and order catalogs - good resources.
Back in the good ol' days when I had free time, I bought 555 timers, relays, 741 pre-amp chips and shock sensors and built my alarm. If I had to do it again, I would simply order a power door lock kit from Parts Express, like item# 330-013, or this Omega DS-KIT, and hook it to an Omega keyless entry system. If you want a car alarm, then just make sure that the power door lock kit works with it. I assume that it will work with other Omega products, like this Omega Excalibur Alarm, but double check. There are other keyless entry products and all kinds of options, but remember you will need four actuators. In the picture below, you can see the two actuators on the passenger door. The top right one (red circle) actuates the door lock, while the bottom one (green circle) attached by a metal plate throws the 1/2" steel bolt (yellow circle). In this picture the deadbolt is retracted and the door unlocked.

In the next picture, the bolt is extended and would go through the hole in the door frame.

Notice that the rubber of my actuator has torn. Oh well, these actuators are only $7.00. Also notice that there are bolts around where the steel rod comes out of the door. This is because the 1/2" steel rod goes through a 2" block of aluminum.

What is the angle? Sorry, don't remember, but it kinda depends on where you locate these in the door. One extremely important point is that the deadbolt is steel while the guide is aluminum. You MUST lubricate this with a high quality grease or it will freeze up over time!
Here is the hole in the door frame. The way I figured out where it went was to install the actuator and deadbolt and then put machinist blueing on the end and actuate it. It would hit the door frame and leave a mark. Not extremely clever, but hey, it worked well. I had initially put an Alumnium reinforcement around the hole. That is what the two bolts in this picture are holding in place. In hindsight this has turned out to be unnecessary.

As you can see, when the power door locks are switched open/closed by switching the keyless entry (or alarm) on/off. A 1/2" steel rod shoots from the door into the door frame securing the door against opening. Using a slim-jim or even smashing the window and un-locking the door will not unbolt these suckers. Unfortunately, if your battery dies, the alarm switch will not unbolt them either and it is necessary to clime in from the back, pop the hood and recharge the battery. I also have a piece of fishing line going from the steel bolt to my power window switch receptical. This allows me to a) get to the line without removing the door panel, b) pull the actuator from the thrown position and open the door. This is necessary, because if your actuator dies in the thrown position, you can not remove the door panel to fix it while the door is closed. Hey, this is painfull experience talking here (actually, because I had the fishing line here the experience was not painfull...;-). Good luck! And remember, the reason that something like this works is because thieves aren't familiar with it. So, if you install it, Shhhhh. Don't tell people ;-)