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Original Sussex Installations video

Van security Installation - Deadlocks - Armaplate and Specialist Plates - South East

Apr 7, 2013 · 17,138 recorded views

Video ID: 4L22OM5LZUgInstallation standardsApr 7, 2013 · 17,138 recorded views

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Jeff Scott's retrospective context — 2026

This video was less about any single product and more about showing the sheer range of tools and parts a proper installation actually needs: petrol compressor, air tools, hand tools, drills, spare saw blades, grease and wax oil, laid out before a Mercedes Sprinter job even begins, alongside Armaplate, deadlocks and specialist plates addressing that vehicle's particular vulnerabilities. A customer sees the finished lock and shield, not the equipment and preparation that made an accurate installation possible.

The Armaplate itself is not just the visible plate on the outside — it is a sandwich, with a matching piece of metalwork fitted inside the door as well, protecting the mechanism from both sides. Every kit is vehicle-specific and door-specific: the barrel length, the lock case and the brackets are all tailored to that particular door, and the long-throw deadlock bolt I favour for the side load door is chosen because it seats deep into the recess of that door specifically.

I sure do turn away jobs if it's not what's in the interest of the customer.

I deliberately didn't say exactly where the additional internal plates were fitted in this van, out of respect for the tradesman who had paid for that extra protection — the wrong people may already have a general idea, but I didn't want to be the one confirming it. That same principle runs through the rest of the video: when I can't properly cover an area, I point customers elsewhere rather than take a job that isn't in their interest.

Original description

Are you thinking about extra security locks for your van? Here is a video showing the tools and parts that are used by the South Easts premier van security installation business "Sussex Installation Team LTD".. You will get an idea of what is involved in the installation and what parts are used.

Please contact us via our website for installation in the South East area, we can cover the Sussex, Surrey, Kent, London area offering a quality installation service. Our main areas are East Sussex, Eastbourne, Brighton, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Worthing, St Leonards on Sea.

Please take a look at http://www.sussexinstallations.co.uk for additional information on securing your vehicle.

Subscribe to both our YouTube channel and website newsletter to keep up to date with van security products and advice; as things are constantly changing as we respond and adapt to new attack techniques as we see them.

Note: Whilst we take great care in selecting products and techniques that we believe are effective to increase your van's security, we can never guarantee that any van is safe from a break in, please see our website for full terms and conditions.

Common questions

Why don't you say exactly where the extra internal plates are fitted?

To avoid educating anyone who might want to attack the van. The wrong people may already have a general idea, but I didn't want to be the one confirming exactly where to look, out of respect for the tradesman who paid for that extra protection.

What's included in a "vehicle specific" or "door specific" security kit?

Everything is matched to that exact door: the barrel length, the lock case and custom brackets are all tailored to suit, rather than a generic one-size-fits-all part. A long-throw deadlock bolt is often used on the side load door specifically because it seats deep into that door's recess (in 2026 this is more likely to be a hooklock type lockcase).

What if a customer is outside the South East, where Sussex Installations doesn't cover?

We have workshop premises in Eastbourne and we have had people drive their vans from all around the UK and much of Europe to bring them to Eastbourne to have Sussex Installations carry out the installation to their van, as we are literally the only people in the world that they would trust.

Transcript

Show transcript
0:02 -yeah hi I'm Jeff Scott from Sussex
0:03 -installation team and I'm going to
0:05 -talk to you about van locks
0:09 -Armaplate and addressing some
0:11 -security vulnerabilities, this is with
0:13 -a current shaped Mercedes Sprinter
0:24 -van, now as you can see I've got most of
0:26 -the tools I'm going to need for this job
0:28 -laid out, any others that I don't are in
0:30 -the van, there's an extensive range of
0:32 -tools needed, from petrol compressor,
0:35 -air tools, hand tools, drills, spare saw
0:40 -blades, spare parts, grease, wax oil,
0:44 -everything we need to make a nice tidy
0:46 -job with this van, and here's the parts
0:48 -that we're going to fit into this van,
0:50 -starting from the top going down, so I'm
0:54 -using a combination of parts, so for the
0:56 -load door this is the Armaplate,
0:59 -Armaplate, as you can see from this
1:00 -one, it's not just a bit you see on the
1:02 -outside, there's also a piece of metal
1:03 -work which goes inside the door as well,
1:05 -so it makes a sandwich out of the
1:07 -middle of your door that's there already,
1:11 -um besides that, we're actually
1:14 -going to address some other
1:15 -vulnerabilities that are with this
1:17 -vehicle, so I'm using some extra
1:19 -plates which are going to go in the door
1:21 -in different areas to address different
1:23 -vulnerabilities, and I'm also going to
1:25 -be fitting deadlocks to this vehicle
1:27 -as well, and there's a long throw
1:30 -deadlock bolt which comes out a
1:32 -bit further, which I like to use for the
1:34 -side load door where possible, in
1:36 -conjunction with an extra piece of
1:39 -reinforcement plate here, so that will
1:42 -sit, well you'll see that once it's
1:43 -finished, on the trailing edge
1:45 -of the side load door, these are
1:47 -vehicle specific kits, as you see the
1:49 -barrel length is exactly as needed for
1:51 -the door, the lock case is exactly as
1:53 -needed for the door, and the brackets
1:55 -are tailor made to suit the door
1:58 -as well, and like I said this is just
1:59 -some of these extra parts, that's
2:03 -actually the side load door
2:06 -parts across here, that one actually is
2:08 -with the side load door as
2:11 -well, like that, these are for the barn
2:15 -door at the back, and then for the cab
2:17 -doors again we can have the Armaplate
2:19 -in there, and we can have that in
2:21 -conjunction with a deadlock as well, and
2:23 -these are all vehicle specific,
2:25 -tailored kits, door specific kits, so
2:29 -we're going to get this vehicle nice and
2:30 -secure, so stay tuned and we'll show
2:33 -you the finished
2:35 -product. Okay so here we have the
2:37 -finished job, there's the Armaplate,
2:38 -but remember it's not just what you see
2:40 -on the outside, it's also
2:43 -sandwiched with the metal plate that's running
2:45 -on the inside, which is also protecting
2:48 -any vulnerable mechanisms, this is
2:51 -the obvious damage on
2:54 -the Sprinters and has been for
2:55 -many years, even with the older
2:57 -shaped ones, we've also got the dead
2:59 -locks here, so should they get by the
3:02 -original lock, then I'll just
3:05 -demonstrate the deadlocks for
3:11 -you, so should they get past that, boom, it
3:14 -just opens up a tiny little bit, and at
3:17 -that point I just close the door
3:20 -up, take the deadlock
3:22 -off, then it opens up fine, so there's the
3:25 -deadlock, and you can see that fits into
3:27 -that custom bracket which is fitted up
3:29 -on the B-pillar
3:31 -there, you can see the operation of that
3:34 -one
3:37 -there, so a bit like your front door at
3:41 -home, and just going around the back
3:43 -here, so yeah here we've got the Armaplate
3:47 -again, we've got the deadlock on as
3:51 -well, the boot locking is still on
3:54 -that
3:55 -so let's unlock, now see it just opens a
3:58 -few millimeters and then it's on the
4:00 -deadlock, but
4:05 -obviously just a bit of weight on the
4:07 -key at that point with the door pushing
4:09 -open, so we've got the deadlock
4:12 -there, and that goes in behind a
4:15 -custom
4:19 -bracket, and not only have we got the
4:21 -Armaplate and the deadlock, there is
4:23 -also additional metal work been put
4:25 -inside this door, I'm not going to say
4:27 -where, just to respect the
4:30 -security of the tradesmen that
4:32 -haven't got the additional plates
4:34 -put in, on the van here's a side load
4:37 -door security again, Armaplate at the
4:42 -front and we've got the
4:44 -deadlock along the trailing edge of the
4:46 -door, there's also a reinforcement plate
4:49 -behind the deadlock, and this
4:53 -particular deadlock I've gone with a
4:55 -long throw bolt there, so it's nice and
4:56 -deep into
4:58 -the recess of the door
5:01 -and behind the bracket, and again there's
5:03 -an additional plate which is
5:05 -inside this door which you can't see, and
5:07 -yeah I'm not going to say where, like
5:10 -I say I've got respect for the tradesmen
5:11 -that have got these vehicles
5:13 -and although the wrong people probably
5:15 -do know about it already, I don't want to
5:18 -be the one to tell them if they
5:19 -don't, so yeah please do give us a
5:22 -call and I'll give you some good
5:23 -honest advice, and anyone that's spoken
5:26 -to me on the phone will already know
5:28 -that I sure do turn away jobs
5:31 -if it's not what's in the interest of
5:33 -the customer, so yeah happy to help,
5:36 -obviously I'm just available in the
5:37 -southeast, if you are up north or
5:39 -somewhere else you can go to
5:41 -ifitstuff.com
5:44 -and use their find an engineer
5:47 -search tool and get yourself an
5:49 -installer, get your van secure, thanks for
5:51 -watching

Transcript source: the YouTube transcript supplied for this project with minor corrections. Automated transcripts can contain recognition errors and should be checked against the original video.

Page details

Author
Jeff Scott
Publisher
Sussex Installation Team Ltd
Updated
2026-08-27
Primary focus
Installation standards
Jeff Scott, founder of Sussex Installation Team Ltd
About the author

Jeff Scott — Van Security Specialist and Industry Educator

Jeff Scott is the founder of Sussex Installation Team Ltd (Sussex Installations). He has fitted vehicle-security systems since 1997, started Sussex Installations in 2003 and has specialised in van security since 2008. His work combines installation, vulnerability research, product design, UK manufacturing and long-term public education.

In 2009, Jeff published the first known YouTube video explaining mechanical key-operated van deadlocks. He has continued documenting van-security products, installation standards, vehicle vulnerabilities and changing attack methods ever since – earning his description as "The OG Van Security YouTuber."

Jeff has supported thousands of professional vehicle aftermarket technicians across the UK and beyond with access to technical information, while actively promoting higher quality installation standards through his trade community ifitstuff.com since 2006.

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