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.

 

[Doubeleive]

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

I have had the door lock busted a few times, luckily they stopped there most of the time either due to the alarm going off or they got scared off for whatever reason. when they do that it's not worth even trying to do a claim, just fix it and carry on.

 

[S33k3r]

In case anyone cares... I just heard back from my mechanic that my first truck is now getting new shift linkage, as that, too, was damaged by the would be thief. We've also had to replace the steering column section that holds the ignition cylinder, because the thief punched all the way through. Yay.

I turned in my second truck to the mechanic on Monday, and hope to hear what is required on it, tomorrow.

 

[Sam Harris]

In case anyone cares... I just heard back from my mechanic that my first truck is now getting new shift linkage, as that, too, was damaged by the would be thief. We've also had to replace the steering column section that holds the ignition cylinder, because the thief punched all the way through. Yay.

I turned in my second truck to the mechanic on Monday, and hope to hear what is required on it, tomorrow.

Do not like.

 

[DougAMiller]

In case anyone cares... I just heard back from my mechanic that my first truck is now getting new shift linkage, as that, too, was damaged by the would be thief. We've also had to replace the steering column section that holds the ignition cylinder, because the thief punched all the way through. Yay.

I turned in my second truck to the mechanic on Monday, and hope to hear what is required on it, tomorrow.

Need to return to 15th century punishment!

 

[DougAMiller]

Well, I ordered a used door handle off ebay today to get all of the critical dimensions from. I really think I'm going to do this, because I just don't feel comfortable parking the Tahoe at work anymore. This is the design so far, I just need the door handle to fine tune some of the features and get accurate dimensions from. Then I'll get a quote on it.

 

[S33k3r]

What are you going to make it out of -- steel or aluminum?

 

[DougAMiller]

What are you going to make it out of -- steel or aluminum?

I'm thinking probably 7075-T6. I was originally thinking of doing it in steel, but then realized that the door skin will probably push in long before this will give and that aluminum should be more than strong enough. Since aluminum will cut faster, it will also make it cheaper to machine.

 

[mattbta]

I'd be interested. I've currently got an unpainted handle on there from when my Tahoe got broken into in San Antonio back in2017. I stayed at the Westin Riverwalk and apparently the valet garage was full so they parked it on the street like 6 blocks away. Fortunately nothing was in it and they didn't try to steal the vehicle. Prolly junkies.

The roached the sheet metal, but I decided to take the cash from the valet company, the free stay + points from the Westin and only spend $100 on a new handle, lock cylinder, jimmy jammer and keying.

 

[DougAMiller]

I was playing around with the online quoting today, and 1018 steel would increase the cost by about 50% over 7075 aluminum. If I order 25 in aluminum the price drops to around $75 each. They can also do a clear or black Type II or Type III anodizing for a few dollars more per part. Since they are going to be painted to match I'm not sure how much benefit anodizing would offer, but a black Type II might be nice to do. Once the handle arrives from ebay and I finish fine tuning the model, I'll see about getting it quoted locally too. I've got a couple of contacts that might do a little better on the price than the online.

If there are any body and paint experts on here that want to weigh in on whether to anodize before painting or not, I'd welcome the advice.

 

[S33k3r]

I was playing around with the online quoting today, and 1018 steel would increase the cost by about 50% over 7075 aluminum. If I order 25 in aluminum the price drops to around $75 each. They can also do a clear or black Type II or Type III anodizing for a few dollars more per part. Since they are going to be painted to match I'm not sure how much benefit anodizing would offer, but a black Type II might be nice to do. Once the handle arrives from ebay and I finish fine tuning the model, I'll see about getting it quoted locally too. I've got a couple of contacts that might do a little better on the price than the online.

If there are any body and paint experts on here that want to weigh in on whether to anodize before painting or not, I'd welcome the advice.

Something just occurred to me on this, and I figured I should voice it before you get too far into it: How hard will it be to simply pull the whole assembly out of the sheet metal of the doors? Sorry if this is a dumb question, and i apologize for being negative. But I am very interested in this.