I’m trying to recall exactly the vent windows. I know my Pontiac had a crank to open and shut it but can’t remember if it had a little lock on it our not. I think our Chevys for sure had a locking lever with a button you had to push to rotate it open. Then you could just push the window open. If they were locked though, I think they were pretty secure. If you had a hard top though it wasn’t hard to get a rod between the windows and pop the lock knob up. I think that lock knob though was what made it easy to get into.
We used to unscrew the lock knobs. The threaded rod was easy to grip to open the lock, but you couldn’t pop it open from outside that easily.
But then GM cars had an ignition off position where you could remove the key, but still start the car by just twisting the switch. You had to turn it to lock. Harley was still doing that until not that long ago. Why? It seemed like the stupidest idea ever.
Then they eliminated the lock knob but went with power locks so all you had to do was get a rod in there to push the button. I like garages.
wentwest: I remember those GM ignition switches. I even owned 4 or 5 cars with them. Back in those days where I grew up no one locked anything including houses. If it didn’t belong to you. You left it alone. I have never had a car stolen but one time I violated that rule and technically stole one. In 1968 a nice condition 1957 Chevy BelAir had been parked in a small field at the end of my street for 3 days. My buddy and I were walking across the field and stopped to check it out. Doors and ignition were unlocked. It was a 3 speed M/T with Hurst floor shifter. It started right up, ran smooth, and the lights worked. We decided the poor thing could use a little exercise. We took turns putting it around a few blocks then returned it to the original position. 2 or 3 days later it was towed away. Just to torture our classic Chevy fans. At that time the car’s high market value was $400.
Not too long ago, I was talking to someone from Montana. He said they never locked anything in his small town, and everyone left their keys in their cars. Everybody know everyone else and if something was stolen, it would be found out quickly. The fear of being ostracized by all of the neighbors had a beneficial effect.
My mom moved to a small town in Virginia after retiring. She died a couple years later, and while we were getting her affairs in order, a neighbor started snooping around the house. Something went missing (I forget what) and he was immediately suspected of stealing it because of his poor reputation. He told me he took it and that his wife made him put it back. She probably made him tell me that he did it, too, to add to the humiliation. I bet she was (rightfully) furious.
Yeah, I’ll agree with the small town culture but the problem is these thugs like to roam now. Especially if a freeway is near. They are from out of town 50 or more miles away and can strip a house of copper in no time if no one is around. A favorite of theirs is to watch funeral announcements and then hit the house when everyone is at the funeral or on the lakes they like the cabins in off season. But then normal locks don’t stop these people, only honest people.
If they want in . .they’ll get in
What bothers me most is the vandalism . . even if they don’t take it !
That happened to my 78 Cordoba. there was nothing to steal so the cut the headliner and seat fabric !
The second time they took the wire wheel covers I talked my insurance into simply writing that check without buy newones first. Then , I’d spend that toward a set of rims that lock on and he’d never write me another wheel cover check again.
speaking of copper ;
There was an electric motor shop down the street.
They didn’t break a window or door to get in . . . THEY TOOK APART THE WALL !
Pried off the metal sheet siding and got in through the studs of the wall !
You folks are right, things don’t get stolen on a whim everywhere. I visited to a small town in Norway for a couple of weeks a few years back. First thing I noticed, riding bicycles to run errands and do shopping was much more common than using a car. Bikes were parked everywhere about town you looked. The residents there never made any attempt to lock the bikes to prevent theft. They’d just prop them up against the nearest pole, and go in the store and do their shopping.
I was in a small town is Southern Japan for several months 3 years ago. There were umbrellas in many of the stores and restaurants for customers to use if it started raining and the customer did not have one with them. Just return it after the rain stops. It worked for them. They didn’t lock their car doors, either. I’m not sure why anyone would want to steal the cars in town (mine included), but they were just honest, decent folks.
Here in Silicon Valley one of he big companies – a name you definitely know – provides a bevy of unlocked bikes on their campus so the employees can move from one building to another more quickly. You just grab whatever bike you see and take it, and park it however you like at the next building, no locks. You can probably imagine what % of these remain by the end of the year. I’m told they hire people to patrol the local flea markets … lol …
Says something about the people that work there. The bikes are always on private property, so the robbers are probably employees.
Anybody who wants can come onto most parts of the campus, not just employees. Only employees can enter the buildings of course.
I lived in a tiny town in New England where we didn’t have locks on the house at all. And, like others said, we left keys in the car. Then I moved out to the country (same town) to a house you couldn’t see from anywhere until you drove right up to it. I figured if anyone wanted to get in they could cut a hole in the wall with a chain saw, so why bother to lock it. Never was robbed. But, tomorrow’s another day, and the thieves are out there.
we still have a skeleton key for our front door, now the nice thing is you can push a button on the lock, and it locks from the outside, but not from the inside, sure I could upgrade the lock, but it is classic and works, who knows how to pick that old lock anyway, the lock also has a deadbolt action if desired, though it is a large beveled glass and with the screened in porch windows as an alternative, what difference does it make.
Now we do not live in a great neighborhood, occasionally lock the cars, but the last time we had a problem, my and wifes car was rifled for change and cds, a week later there was a security company trying to sell home protection.
Now I today had to grab a bunch of extra stuff and left the keys on the passenger seat of the car, first time ever!
Even though we may be in a marginal neighborhood, I have heard from many contractors, stuff left in the supposedly good neighborhoods are more probable for trouble for vandalism and theft.
Used to be a respect for people and things, I still have it but seeing what goes on in the world that is a long lost value.
Car related, was walking up the street, and some gangbangers raced up, fired a shotgun I think and took off, now the kids they shot at were like wtf, man I got a pellet in my ankle, now it really took me a bit to figure out that hey this was a drive by shooting, ooh I should call the police, but by the tome I thought of it everyone was gone.
Remember gong to visit a gf in Evanston, car backfired, I think, and she dove to the sidewalk, I am like what? she says anytime you hear a pop you hit he sidewalk on all fours, silly me.
Do not usually type this much, but have seen some worse horrer stories here. What a cruel wicked world we are becoming.
We studied this back in the 60s and it’s just gotten worse. It’s called disintegration of the family unit.
Some well meaning but naive folks in St. Paul came up with the yellow bike program. Lots of yellow bikes downtown with no locks for anyone to use. It was a big joke on the radio. In a week there wasn’t a bike to be found. Now the got smart and you need to rent them with a cc and they’re green.
anytime you hear a pop you hit he sidewalk
Reminds me of a funny story. I used to live in a small town in Colorado, but moved to San Jose in the early 1980’s. A few days after my arrival in SJ, fresh off the turnip truck so to speak, I decided to go for a run-a-bout, my preferred form of exercise at the time. So I dressed as I normally do for a run, about 3 miles in, it was a hot day, so I decided to stop in at the local 7-11 and get a soda, take a break, then continue my run.
As I walked into the door there someone yelled out “down” and all the employees dropped to the floor. I was wondering what was going on, maybe an earthquake? I didn’t feel any earthquake though. Eventually someone peaks his head above the counter so I say to him I’d like to buy a can a coca cola and put a dollar bill on the counter. He says “Oh, we saw your red headband, thought you were going to rob the place” … lol …
After that my running kit lost all the red colors … lol …
And at that point you decided to try a different locale?
Wrong color ?
Once upon a time in a neighbor hood close to home . . . some weird guy comes up to my wife and me while out for our evening walk.
he approaches us with this a-hole gangsta/homie attitude . .
‘’ uh … like dude… you wearin da wrong color for dis 'hood ! You in da wrong 'hood for dat color dude ‘’
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- oooh ! . . I gave him my steely glare, never blinking ( that would indicate to anyone that they just poked a stick into this hornets’ nest )
‘’ WRONG 'HOOD ? ? ? . .DUDE . .THIS is MY . .'HOOD, has been for twenty years . . it’s YOU who’s in the wrong . . ‘hood’. . . 'round HERE color doesn’t matter. ‘’ ( we were just three blocks from home where my wife has lived since she was born )
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- face to face . . eye to eye . . hand on my side pouch ( it just has a Leatherman in it, but he doesn’t know that. )
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- now, granted , he easily could have gotten physical as immediately feared,
but I HAD to play that card.
This has always been a very neighborly area despite its bad reputation and I’m not about to let some newbie thugs start to thnk they can take root.
- now, granted , he easily could have gotten physical as immediately feared,
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- when he saw my DEAD serious stare ?
Its kinda car related since you have to drive through these places but for Minneapolis it all goes back years ago to Tony Boza the naive police chief at the time. He believed in midnight basketball to solve the gang problem and he let gangs get a foot hold. Once they got a hold then their cousins and other relatives started coming in from Chicago and other parts and got out of control. Now its a mess. The minute there is any activity at all such as gang signs or drugs, you have to get right on it and immediately with no mercy or they’ll take control. He’s still alive living back in New York or someplace and still using the same lame crime fighting logic as before.