# How to EMP proof a new vehicle



## Blackwolfe (Sep 9, 2009)

I know that if you buy or have a pre-1970 vehicle you do not have to worry about an EMP hit.

But what if you wanted to take an 2014 F150 and strip it down, keep the air cond. the power steering and power brakes and have it EMP proof.

How would you go about this project.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Get the electrical diagrams for the truck first. The newer stuff has many things tied together that weren't in the pre-ECU days. Figure out how many computers the truck has and if and how they are tied together. Do that before pulling the engine and transmission out and installing something with a carburetor from before 1987. The electrical diagrams will give you an idea of how difficult it will be to get all of the little stuff like lights, etc. working.

I have no idea if you could convert your engine to a carbureted version. Since the electonification of engines and the mechanical design to take advantage of that, you're into a different ball game. 

You're better off buying an old vehicle that's in good shape or can be renovated.


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## BadFordRanger (Apr 26, 2014)

I have no idea if they do it any more, but way back in my late 60's and 70's day, if you found the right dealer, you could buy a car, lets say a Chevy Vega, or a Ford Pinto, wit out and drive train whatsoever. 
I started to say that I couldn't think of any, but Motion Performance in New York sold a Vega with a 350 Z-28 engine and even with a LS-7 454 engine. 
Jack Roush, the car owner of several NASCAR teams now, built the, nope, excuse me, that was Carol Shelby that built the 65 and up Mustangs. 
How you could do it now, I have no idea. 
I myself am looking for new trucks and cars, and 74 and 71 and below engines and transmissions. 
Our Piedmont Shopper today has a 1970, 454, newly rebuilt, asking $2,500.00
A 1969 454, .030" over, aluminum rods, 13 to 1 compression pistons, asking $3,500, but you should u have to have racing or aviation fuel to even run that monster for a few minutes without burning holes through the tops of the pistons. 
Both at 276-340-1825.
Hey, thanks for asking. I missed seeing an ad for a C-4 tranny that fits a 221, 260, or 289 ford engine. 
I wonder if he has any of those engines and they are rebuild-able? 
I want another 221 bad. But I'd take any of them. 

But actually, short of finding an engine that will accept a carburetor type intake, and making a transplant, I don't see that happening. 
But I assure you that you aren't the only one thinking about it. 

I want another 221 for my Ranger so if anyone sees one give me a yell, please. 

Godspeed

Ranger


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## Vahomesteaders (Jun 4, 2014)

Actually most all cars are emp resistant and almost all built after 2005 are near EMP proof. Most all the elctronics essential to run the vehicle are on surge circuits. A guy in UK did a test on 37 cars from 79-2011 years. Not one was shut down by emp effects. Some radio and dash stuff fried but every car would still run. Mostly blown fuses. But all you need to do if you arent in the car is ground it with a wire from the bumper or any frame part and a ground rod into the ground and it will be fine.


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## haley1 (Aug 15, 2012)

Wrap it in foil?


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

Vahom...how do you know that...in other words where did this info come from and/or what are your credentials, please?


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## Vahomesteaders (Jun 4, 2014)

anniew said:


> Vahom...how do you know that...in other words where did this info come from and/or what are your credentials, please?


My FIL has worked as a private contractor for the govt for 30 years in security. He carries the highes clearing in the land. He is somewhat of a prepper and ultra conservative and has faced all this issues and many more that would scare you to death. lol But most of it he cant even talk about. But things like this he can.

But here is an clip of the report done in the UK I was talking about above.
"Automobiles were subjected to EMP environments under both engine turned off and engine turned on conditions. No effects were subsequently observed in those automobiles that were not turned on during EMP exposure. The most serious effect observed on running automobiles was that the motors in three cars stopped at field strengths of approximately 30 kV/m or above. In an actual EMP exposure, these vehicles would glide to a stop and require the driver to restart them. Electronics in the dashboard of one automobile were damaged and required repair. Other effects were relatively minor. Twenty-five automobiles exhibited malfunctions that could be considered only a nuisance (e.g., blinking dashboard lights) and did not require driver intervention to correct. Eight of the 37 cars tested did not exhibit any anomalous response. None of the 37 cars tested were incapacitated to the point of non running."


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## Vahomesteaders (Jun 4, 2014)

Everyone always heard about emp attacks and have just speculated for th emost part of their damage. Look at india. It had a large solar EMP that was measured about 35kv/m that knocked out the power grid for 6million people for 2 days. But no cars were damaged. They were all driving around and power grid was back up in 2 days.


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## Vahomesteaders (Jun 4, 2014)

ANd honestly if a nuke goes off, the emp is the least of your worries. lol


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## Blackwolfe (Sep 9, 2009)

Thanks for your input Vahome, but no one can simulate a Earth changing solar or nuclear event to say what electronics will survive. And it does not have to be an EMP, all it will take is a few months or a year of a total grid down SHTF situation and where are you going to get the replacement parts for all them little electronic do-hickys that are under the hood when they go bad.


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## Vahomesteaders (Jun 4, 2014)

Your right. There is no way to know for sure. But if you live where I do and have a horse or two it won't matter what that do-hicky does. Lol prepare now for the shtf scenario and don't worry about. If the grid were to go down tomorrow I wouldn't bat an eye. Cows for milk and eating canned goods from the garden stored plenty and wildlife and no people. So other than sweating to death no bogie. Lol


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

If your pockets were deep enough you could drop / sell / discard the whole engine / drive train and put in the good old stuff......a 283 or 350 stick or auto. Would be interesting getting the clutch / shift stuff through the floor boards.

Might be easier to go find / buy a restored oldy but goodie pickup and take it home and really slather it with undercoating etc.

But then again if a BIG solar flare puts the hurt on the whole country where are you going to get fuel . . . .??? . . . . and to drive to where??

Time to give old Dobbin a extra ration of oats...................


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

I wouldn't be 100% without a shadow of doubt on the EMP proof claim no matter what the studies say. Especially not with the way they can hack into cars just to monitor how you are driving.

Best to just buy an older car without bells and whistles. They are out there. We are driving two, a 1986 Jetta diesel that gets over 50mph and an 85 Mercedes diesel that averages about 30mph. They aren't new or pretty but we can count on them to keep on chugging along.

You could also build a Faraday cage to park your vehicle in if it is a newer vehicle.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

I would think that if you have the finances to rejigger a new truck then you could just buy a pre-1970 truck and get it fixed up to be reliable transportation.

I bought a 68 Dodge once for $200 and ran it for 2 years before the transmission went out. Sold the engine out of it and the body for scrap. 

The old truck sitting around also has the advantage of not having to pay high yearly taxes on it (in some states), plus insurance (if you drive it on the road) is minimal. 

Older vehicles are also much easier to work on for a non-mechanic like myself. Everything in their innards makes more logical sense than these modern vehicles. If you open the hood on a 2014 Ford, it might as well be alien technology from Roswell for all I can make sense of it, but in my 1965 Chevy I was able to easily tell what was what and how it was supposed to be hooked together.


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## forfreedom (Dec 3, 2008)

Why would you do it in the first place? 

If everyone else's car is not running, and you are the only vehicle on the road, it will be taken from you in a blink of an eye. Maybe at the expense of your own life even.

I think the most secure way to ride out a disaster is being prepared, but on the outside appear just live every one else out there. No solar panels on the roof. No running vehicle.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

BadFordRanger said:


> ...A 1969 454, .030" over, aluminum rods, 13 to 1 compression pistons, asking $3,500, but you should u have to have racing or aviation fuel to even run that monster for a few minutes without burning holes through the tops of the pistons....


I'd bet that would run great on E85. Just need to get the carb jetted right and make sure all the rubber lines/gaskets can handle it.

WWW


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

You just need to scale this up a little bit..


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