Making Slim Jims

ok.. telling the absolute.. IMO a 'slim jim' has VERY limited use now.. 1 brand of vehicle comes to mind, but, OF THAT BRAND, maybe 60% of the models, older than say 4-5 years.. newer ones, it will NOT work on..

as for the rest? I SELDOM ever need/nor use one..

save your money..get a GOOD set later on.. Pro Lock, or High Tech.. BOTH will set you back, but in High Tech's case, you do NOT necessarily need the 'custom chromed set'.. the non chrome is fine..

and I DO use them, BUT, will FIGHT YOU over 'certain Pro Lock' specific tools, that are IMO far better/easier to use than High Tech. I got 4 of them, and they are VERY handy.

--Shiva--

Now I'm LOL.

While there are locksmiths that specialize in cars and many locksmiths do cars, I wouldn't say that it's most of a locksmiths income. Personally, I do very little automotive locksmithing any more. The real money is in commercial work and safes.

Why in the world would you want to bother to make one?

1) You can pick one up at most auto parts stores for five to ten bucks.

2) They work on very few cars anymore.

Same can be said for slimjims

That's right, I remember reading about slim jims becoming less and less used. People made jokes like.. "Slim jim.. isn't that the thing i put away 20 years ago?"

More vehicles are coming out with electronic locks. Thanks for telling me about the safe cracking/drilling bit.

What are the exact reasons people aren't using slim jims as much though?

Is it because there are electric picks or people are getting in the habit of picking the door lock manually?

While i'm being a newb, I might as well ask something else.

Do you think certain cars have diagrams within factory book manuals that show where the "bars" are inside the door?

I would think if using a slim jim worked on older vehicles (GM), looking at a GM Vehicle manual might give me clues as to how far I should put the slim jim (or hanger) into the vehicle and where to go with it.

I could'nt say exactly,but I'd guess that auto manufacturers know how frolific "slim jims" are and have added baffles or plates to make this more difficult or impossible. I've used a slim on some newer models,but very rarely.

Somewhere they do-I've never seen one.If you get a Pro-lok or any of the other kits aforementioned-they do have some photos of the door cavity. I going to check out the non-chromed-that sounds like a good idea.

I would think if using a slim jim worked on older vehicles (GM),

what does a 'slim jim' work on? a vertical button? and NOT all of them..

electric picks are a TOTAL waste of money.. and you dont pick a LOT of door locks.. some can be-yes.. but most not..

no-car opening books do tho-thats what they are made for..

nope.. besides the manuals are gonna cost you a FORTUNE.. and ONLY available as a body shop item, not the ones you get at the local FLAPS --Shiva--

ok-chrome makes it look good..

worried about finish? steel wool, degreaser, and some COLD BLUING used for 'touching up' a gun barrel.. keep it clean and dry.. it aint gonna rust THAT much..

--Shiva--

send me $100 U.S. and i will send you slim jim and instructions for various cars proffessionally printed.

I stopped using a Slim Jim around 1974 when "lazy cams" disappeared from GM, Chrysler, and almost all import car door locks. Everyone complained about the police and tow truck drivers opening up cars, but since they used Slim Jims (and still do) , they made me more money fixing the damage they did, then I got for opening the car. :) All a slim jim does is pull the pawl off the back of the lock. Sometimes they pull ALL the rods off. And that's a good payday.

There's nothing wrong with making your own tools. Almost every car opening tool I own is homeade. Stainless steel car radio antennas are a great source of tool material. So is the 80 inch whip CB antenna, and the plastic 1 gallon water jugs and bicycle tire innertubes. I open

99.9% the lockouts with just those 4 items.

You know those plastic shirt pocket liners the geeks keep all those pens & pencils in? They're great for keeping your tools from scratching the paint or tearing the weatherstripping when wedging those car doors and windows.

Forget Slim Jims and coat hangers. Get hold of those 4 items, and take some car doors apart at the locak junkyard to see how to shape the tools to unlock the car door without damage. I'll give you some hints: You'll need a cheap propane torch to make the stainless steel bendable, and you make W I D E rubberbands out of the bicycle tire innertubes and use them with cutouts made from the water jugs. Oh yeah, you'll need some 60 pound test fishing line to go with that

80" whip antenna too. Get the deep sea stuff, not that cheap plastic shit that gets all tangled.

I disagree. Maybe they are a waste of $$ on cars, but not cylinder locks. If I am finding it difficult to pick a lock, usually because of a short pin behind a very long pin, then my electric pick works quite well. But again, it is a learned technique and requires a lot of practise.

I would also agree w/ Bobby that the $$ is in commercial and industrial. I do absolutely no cars, except our own fleet. My biggest money maker is access control. High Tech stuff. Biometrics etc.

Good luck running around opening cars all day for $25.00 each.

Bob

same as a pick gun.. people buy, read, and they dont work.. BECAUSE they read the instructions and followed to the letter.. --Shiva--

Hee, hee, hee....

On the rare occation that I do go out to open a car, (slow day, on the way to a real job , etc.), I get $65 for it.

:)

Hee, hee, hee....

On the rare occation that I do go out to open a car, (slow day, on the way to a real job , etc.), I get $65 for it (weekdays).

:)

Speaking only for myself, my policy is that I don't teach picking techniques unless I've personally known the person for two years.

You can find many forums on the web, but that's out of my control.

When I was new at locksmithing, I was completely fascinated by picking. Now, after 20+ years in the trade, it's an important part of the job, but not totally fascinating. There is so much more to the job.

The reasons I don't teach picking are several.

1) There is no way to know who is the person asking. Most people asking (or lurking and reading the posts) are decent people, but a few are not. So, I've decided simply not to say anything to anyone.

2) Picking locks is a "trade secret" like many other trades which have their techniques and systems.

3) A very small part of the security of locks is that so few people know how to pick them. So, by teaching lock picking, I make all locks less secure for the world. Not what I want to do.

4) Purely selfishly, I learned lock picking the hard way, with lots of practice, and you can do the same.

I wish you well. Hope this doesn't sound unkind, but the world isn't a nice place sometimes.

purchase yourself a quality opening system and you won't be tearing up linkage. also, vehicular locks are certainly not most of our income. commercial is where the money is at.

Foley Belsaw will only give you some basics. You will need to apprintace with a Locksmith for around 5 years or so before you can begin to think you're a locksmith. no pun entended.

see above.

(news flash) you can also do the same with a misplaced slin-jim.

remember, the less effort you put into something, the less you get out of it in return.

read the FAQ

like I already stated, Foley Belsaw will only gige you the basics.

g'luck

agree...

Mr. DeWeese and the rest,

(See below). Now that's the way to do business! Since I have more than I can do, the one with the fattest wallet gets to see me.

Hey Bob, let me ask your opinion about something....

I'm in the process of hiring a locksmith to help and have a couple of great resumes from locksmiths with a lot of auto experience and some commercial. In your opinion, would these be good candidates for a job doing mostly access control and GMK systems? Also installing proprietary cylinders in all makes of commercial hardware?

Would you consider someone with automotive experience and attempting to generate another revenue stream doing automotive?

Would you consider hiring someone who has owned their own lock business? Do you think these may have trouble receiving direction from a boss?

Bob

let me add 3 cents..

phone call-person needs 'something'... BY THE SOUND OF THEIR VOICE, in some cases I make a decision.. I can work with this person or , no, I REALLY don't want to get involved here, and it hs NOTHING to do with what the individual wants..I just politely refer them to someone else, and avoid a very good chance of a hassle with them.. you ever get that 'customer' that you feel is REALLY gonna be a pain? same with employees.. you got to judge them on how you think THEY will be reacted to by the public..if the potential customers call, and 'don't like the 'sound', then you don't get repeat customers..

a certain 'un named' nation wide company comes to mind here, as an example..

I had an example recently.. I needed a 'lock part'...called who I was told was a stocking dealer.. spent 5 minutes on the phone TRYING to find the right department, got cut off once, then tried again.. after another 3 minutes, still have NO idea who I needed to talk to..

vs.. have a lefebure lock on a teller drawer.. called, got a dept, and no, you need the part number first- they switched me over to tech support, 2 minutes describing the lock I needed, and I had the part number- he could not switch me back, but I immediately called the original number again, and was connected and got the part within 3 minutes.. THAT is IMO, customer service.. Now, I got an account set up with them, which I may use now and then, which is OK on both our parts.. --Shiva--

Often a locksmith might have more automotive experience than commercial experiance because in his last places of employ those with more senority got the pick of the jobs.

A little bias here but I think a journeyman locksmith ought to be able to fit keys to cars and install a floor closer and adjust a patio door so the lock works and be able to work on safes.

Depending on your market, sometimes there is a glut of car calls, and other times you will be busy on commercial work.

There are different kind of people. Some you need to supervise intently, others you only need to tell what you want to get done and leave them to accomplish it.

Often someone that has been in business for themselves fit into the latter catagory. In skilled trades often the best managers will be able to identify each persons strenghts and weeknesses and assign tasks accordingly.

If you are a "control freak" (term used for lack of a better one) then you might want to avoid independant thinkers. By doing so you avoid grief from clash. Conversly if you are hiring someone you can toss any call to and have it done with the minimum of hassle on your part than those that can work independantly are better.