76 replies to this topic

[chrisandsarah]

re piping all fuel line inside car bad idea?

As long as they are not laid by me.. should be ok, but you will have to cut a couple of holes in your shell to give them an uninterrupted route.

I couldn't imagine anyone would steal petrol via the fuel lines, you would have to be a size zero ninja or happen to have a jack with you to get at them..

A MK3 Vauxhall Astra on the other hand....

[jmmini]

LE BUMP

Some git got mine last night, CCTV was off and he carefully laid the parts out for me that he had taken off (strangley without any damage) Now the CCTV i staying on and im getting a sticker made that says "smile for my camera you c***" plus its staying in garage from now on the thieving gits

[jedduh01]

Leave caps off--- then it looks like youv'e already been taken... Leave an old cap on the ground... if they think the fuel is gone --- then why try!

[chrisandsarah]

Park elsewhere, rent a garage etc. They are clearly hitting your car avain and again for a reason

[stretch tech]

convert your mini to run off electric = no fuel to syphon

maybe install a tap in the fuel tank so you can syphon your own fuel out at night and then leave the cap off over night then only put in the fuel you need in the mornings ? you'd only need to do this for a few days or weeks and they'll get bored...a bit of a hassel but worth not getting robbed

Rhys

[richw911]

Fit an internal tank and fill original with water

[BVY]

ive looked into this as its happened to me a couple times.

your best bet is to relocate the filler neck to inside the boot.

i had a quote for £100 to modify the petrol tank so you could only access it by opening the boot.

You could do as above. But you might be able to get a bit of payback at the same time...
Keep the origonal filler neck, but have it lead into a seperate container which has something that will ruin their engine when they put it in their car. Like maybe deisel or something so it will at least smell like fuel. (even though diesel smells different)
Be creatve!!

[Big Sam]

I drained my tank and drilled some holes in it and slotted some metals bars in a grid like formation towards the bottom of the neck and welded it back up. The pump can go in all the way and isn't interrupted at all by it, obviously runs slightly slower though, however you can't get a hose down there to siphon any out!

I could sell them on an exchange basis, hmm.

[Jamie_hail]

Motion activated PIR? Wired into a light and an alarm - place it on the b pillar, pointing back out towards the fuel filler neck? Anybody gets close to the neck, it'll sound an alarm. Same way as motion activated flood/security lights for your home.

[tiger99]

Just so no-one blows themselves up, gets fined, or fails their MOT, I would point out that if the fuel line passes through the passenger cabin (a good idea, as it protects it from damage), it must be continuous with no joints, and made of an approved material. You should use steel fuel pipe for maximum safety, and a good grommet at each bulkhead.

Unfortunately, having the filler in the boot is completely illegal, and has been for a long time, and is downright dangerous. To do it legally you would have to fit substantial drains and vents to the boot, and fully seal the rear bulkhead (welding up the gap at the sides would severely disfigure the side panels), so the boot becomes a completely seperate, vented space.

Now you could get rid of the spare wheel well, and weld in a flat floor. Yes, I know it is a modification to the monocoque, so may attract IVA, but I think that most MOT testers would not report you for it, so it might be ok. The tank could then go under the floor, and you could weld in a sort of tunnel to keep the filler neck in the underfloor space, not the boot, and that, if done correctly (watch out for sharp bits penetrating the tank during a rear impact, you may have to box the rear subframe crossmember to eliminate its forward facing edges for that reason) it should be both safe and legal.

I think that the real way forward is to run the fuel line inside, and do something about the tank neck to prevent siphoning. A fine mesh welded in, well down the neck, would prevent the insertion of a hose, but don't do welding on a tank that has ever contained fuel, without it being properly purged by a qualified expert! That method is not seriously disfiguring to the bodywork.

I see a market for someone with the capability to offer modified tanks on an exchange basis.

Edited by tiger99, 08 September 2012 - 11:07 PM.

[BTH]

Electrify the Filler cap? Wait with a shotgun? Dont put much petrol in? Put smart water in?

[jmmini]

Happened again...

[PRG123]

This is an invention waiting to happen, obviously there is a demand among the classic car owners ( whatever make) to stop thieves sucking the petrol out of your car.

Surely some kind of non return valve could be added to the filler neck to stop people siphoning it out.....

[zeroasylum]

Happened again...

Happened to me also again. So have installed cctv got a nice system that connects to the wireless network and records for £70. This time I did not notice till I sat in and started the car and it ran out of fuel in a minute as they kindly left my cap back on with a ruined lock. That said at least no body damage to the car.

[Kye1]

Why not just get a bit of wire or string that when pulled hard it sets of a separate alarm or attach it to the car alarm