Almost lost the Tahoe today...

[DougAMiller]

So, I am rethinking installing the Jimmi Jammers. I looked up reviews on them and they get great reviews, however, almost all are "these are great, now I don't have to worry about my car being stolen again". When I looked only at reviews of people who reported about having another theft attempt, 2 out of 3 said it barely slowed the thief down, only one said it stopped them. Apparently, the metal plate can be bent enough to still push the lock cylinder out where it can be turned if you're a bit more aggressive with it.

So, my engineer brain started thinking about what it would take to really stop this kind of attack, and I decided that what is needed is to replace the baseplate of the door handle with one made out of metal so they can't break the lock cylinder out of the plastic. This shouldn't be too difficult to CNC out of 7075 aluminum, have it painted and move all of the hardware from the plastic part to the metal one. In fact, it could be simplified on the back side, as a lot of the detail there is just hollowing out to save material costs. By not hollowing it out, it will be cheaper to machine and also be stronger. As an additional level of security, the C-clip that locks the lock cylinder in place can be replaced with a bolted-in metal plate. I can leave enough material around the lock cylinder hole to drill and tap three holes to bolt a steel plate over it.

I think I'm going to grab a handle off ebay, you can get one for $10 or less, and model it in SolidWorks, then send the design off to a machine shop and get a quote.

 

[Tonyrodz]

So, I am rethinking installing the Jimmi Jammers. I looked up reviews on them and they get great reviews, however, almost all are "these are great, now I don't have to worry about my car being stolen again". When I looked only at reviews of people who reported about having another theft attempt, 2 out of 3 said it barely slowed the thief down, only one said it stopped them. Apparently, the metal plate can be bent enough to still push the lock cylinder out where it can be turned if you're a bit more aggressive with it.

So, my engineer brain started thinking about what it would take to really stop this kind of attack, and I decided that what is needed is to replace the baseplate of the door handle with one made out of metal so they can't break the lock cylinder out of the plastic. This shouldn't be too difficult to CNC out of 7075 aluminum, have it painted and move all of the hardware from the plastic part to the metal one. In fact, it could be simplified on the back side, as a lot of the detail there is just hollowing out to save material costs. By not hollowing it out, it will be cheaper to machine and also be stronger. As an additional level of security, the C-clip that locks the lock cylinder in place can be replaced with a bolted-in metal plate. I can leave enough material around the lock cylinder hole to drill and tap three holes to bolt a steel plate over it.

I think I'm going to grab a handle off ebay, you can get one for $10 or less, and model it in SolidWorks, then send the design off to a machine shop and get a quote.

View attachment 258842

Your plan sounds pretty good. Are you going to make these just for yourself, or do you plan on making a bunch to sell on the forum?

 

[S33k3r]

So, I am rethinking installing the Jimmi Jammers. I looked up reviews on them and they get great reviews, however, almost all are "these are great, now I don't have to worry about my car being stolen again". When I looked only at reviews of people who reported about having another theft attempt, 2 out of 3 said it barely slowed the thief down, only one said it stopped them. Apparently, the metal plate can be bent enough to still push the lock cylinder out where it can be turned if you're a bit more aggressive with it.

So, my engineer brain started thinking about what it would take to really stop this kind of attack, and I decided that what is needed is to replace the baseplate of the door handle with one made out of metal so they can't break the lock cylinder out of the plastic. This shouldn't be too difficult to CNC out of 7075 aluminum, have it painted and move all of the hardware from the plastic part to the metal one. In fact, it could be simplified on the back side, as a lot of the detail there is just hollowing out to save material costs. By not hollowing it out, it will be cheaper to machine and also be stronger. As an additional level of security, the C-clip that locks the lock cylinder in place can be replaced with a bolted-in metal plate. I can leave enough material around the lock cylinder hole to drill and tap three holes to bolt a steel plate over it.

I think I'm going to grab a handle off ebay, you can get one for $10 or less, and model it in SolidWorks, then send the design off to a machine shop and get a quote.

View attachment 258842

Color me interested, thank you!

 

[DougAMiller]

Your plan sounds pretty good. Are you going to make these just for yourself, or do you plan on making a bunch to sell on the forum?

I'm not sure I really want to go into the door handle business, but if enough people are interested, we could get better pricing with a group buy. I roughed something out by eye, all of the dimensions need to be measured and corrected in the model, but it's probably a good enough representation to get an idea of the cost. I uploaded the file to an internet machine shop that does instant quotes and it came back with $375 for one. I would guess that for a large enough quantity you might get it down to around $100. Here is an image of what I am thinking. There are alot of inside corners that aren't easily machined, so I need to go through and radius all of those. Not sure if the online quote factors that or not.

 

[Doubeleive]

True, but if they can punch out the lock cylinder, then they are in, and what other damage are they going to do in addition to the value of items stolen from inside. The total repair bill on mine was over $2300, and the door was only about $400 of that. I'd rather try to keep them out with possibly more repair work required on the door. All this said with the understanding that if they are really determined to get in they will, but part of the reason for attacking it this way is that it defeats the factory alarm. Other methods may not. So to me, it seems like a reasonable countermeasure.

the dealer likes to ream people on the door lock, all it does is break the plastic part that holds the lock, to fix it you just replace the outside door handle it's 3 10mm bolts and you can get a aftermarket one online for $15 shipped, you take off the door panel, reach inside take the 3 10mm bolts out, flip the plastic clip up that holds the metal bar, insert the lock in the hole put the clip on, re-attach the bar, put the 3 10mm bolts in, put the door panel back on. done.

 

[DougAMiller]

the dealer likes to ream people on the door lock, all it does is break the plastic part that holds the lock, to fix it you just replace the outside door handle it's 3 10mm bolts and you can get a aftermarket one online for $15 shipped, you take off the door panel, reach inside take the 3 10mm bolts out, flip the plastic clip up that holds the metal bar, insert the lock in the hole put the clip on, re-attach the bar, put the 3 10mm bolts in, put the door panel back on. done.

Yep, pretty easy. I had mine out recently because the L-shaped lever broke. I made a new one from some scrap to fix it. The cost at the dealer also included a new lock cylinder (the thieves trashed it) and keying it to the original keys. And then there were some dents from them knocking the lock out. So I don't actually think the dealer was all that bad.

 

[Kee Fuller]

the dealer likes to ream people on the door lock, all it does is break the plastic part that holds the lock, to fix it you just replace the outside door handle it's 3 10mm bolts and you can get a aftermarket one online for $15 shipped, you take off the door panel, reach inside take the 3 10mm bolts out, flip the plastic clip up that holds the metal bar, insert the lock in the hole put the clip on, re-attach the bar, put the 3 10mm bolts in, put the door panel back on. done.

The aftermarket door handles are trash. Im living through em currently.

Disregard, im in the wrong forum. I should be in the nnbs. Lmaoooo

 

[Doubeleive]

The aftermarket door handles are trash. Im living through em currently.

the nbs ones are totally different, the nnbs ones fall apart

 

[Doubeleive]

Yep, pretty easy. I had mine out recently because the L-shaped lever broke. I made a new one from some scrap to fix it. The cost at the dealer also included a new lock cylinder (the thieves trashed it) and keying it to the original keys. And then there were some dents from them knocking the lock out. So I don't actually think the dealer was all that bad.

ya if they damage the lock cylinder then it's time to hit the junkyard, I paid the dealer one time years ago to fix mine and then I figured out how easy it was to fix, lesson learned.
if you have ever owned a astro van or safari you learn real fast how to replace door handles, lol those things break left & right all by themselves, if you ever see one in a junkyard or for sale I guarantee you the door handles are broke

 

[DougAMiller]

ya if they damage the lock cylinder then it's time to hit the junkyard, I paid the dealer one time years ago to fix mine and then I figured out how easy it was to fix, lesson learned.

Yeah, I like to fix things myself too, but insurance was paying and there was a lot to fix inside.