Thread(s) Of Elio As Long-distance Highway Machine

[John Painter]

My Vega's hood opened forward like the Elio. Pulled the cable to pop the hood, and a small release lever was right in the center...super easy. But G1 makes a good point a couple of posts up. Keep the cost down to meet the $6800 goal.

My sister had a Vega, please don't compare the Elio to that POS.

 

[Lil4X]

I like the locking pin. I might do a upgrade on my own Elio.

Yeah, I kinda like that idea too; clean, with security for whatever goodies you might install underneath. Since I don't like to carry a lot of keys, I'll just stow a key somewhere inside the vehicle, out of sight.

 

[Lil4X]

with the pin Elio has on the P4 (picture in post 106) there isn't much to steal

That's true, but having the hood flapping until you can get another one (Pep Boys?) would get old. Shelby's and several other muscle cars that came with hood pins weren't able to keep up with demand due to theft. I seem to remember some of those pins going for over $20 ea. - and that's in 1972 dollars. I feel sorry for the Mercedes owners when the hip-hop generation thought it was cool to wear one of their hood ornaments on a big chain around their necks. Those tri-stars went for a couple hundred bucks and had a life expectancy on the street of about thirty minutes before they were gone again. Maybe just have your Elio hood pins engraved, "I'm STOOPID" - and eliminate theft altogether.

 

[ScarecrowRepair]

More recently, the pins include built-in locking cylinders.

Will the Elio pins be easily upgradeable to locking ones? I know Elio likes standard parts, but I don't know how standard locking pins are. The keys will be a minor annoyance to be kept in the glove box, since if someone can steal the keys, they have better things to steal than the locking pins.

 

[pistonboy]

The 'pointed' chrome piece (hood pin) is attached to the body and goes through a hole in the hood (actually two holes, one on each side). The clip attaches to a groove in the hood pin to keep the hood from lifting.

OMG People. This means the hood can not be locked! Just think of it. Anyone can get into the engine compartment and steel the battery and do what ever they want! This is serious. Do you want this? I don't. how in the world could they do something like this?

Show me that I am wrong.

 

[Norahsbed]

If someone wants to steal your battery, a locked car will not stop them. Break the window, pull the hood latch and there goes your battery, as well as anything left in the car. Seems to me it will cost me less in repairs if they can get to the battery easily. Then again in over 40 years, I've only had 1 vehicle broken into and they trashed the interior causing several hundred in damage for a couple of dollars in change, they also broke into our garage and stole a bicycle. The bike had 2 flat tires and they ditched it a half a block away. If someone wants to steal something not much will stop them. Not even car alarms or interior hood latches.

 

[Bert]

pistonboy, with all respect, locks keep honest people honest.
I could open most hoods from the outside "if" I were a crook. I wouldn't care that I broke the cable housing, therefore only needing to be able to reach under the car, or through the grill and give it a tug.
Even simple hood pins allow for small padlocks to be placed on them. If I can't get "flush" mounted locks, I'll undoubtedly go this route. Not that I'm worried about theft, but curious rubberneckers wanting to see what's under the hood.

 

[pistonboy]

If there is no reason to lock the hood, they why put locks on the doors?

I want to be able to lock my hood.

 

[Bert]

Then use the padlocks, "if" there's no factory flush mounted locks that is.

 

[pistonboy]

pistonboy, with all respect, locks keep honest people honest.
I could open most hoods from the outside "if" I were a crook. I wouldn't care that I broke the cable housing, therefore only needing to be able to reach under the car, or through the grill and give it a tug.
Even simple hood pins allow for small padlocks to be placed on them. If I can't get "flush" mounted locks, I'll undoubtedly go this route. Not that I'm worried about theft, but curious rubberneckers wanting to see what's under the hood.

Yes, but it sounds like you are a person with brains. I keep hearing most criminals are not very bright.