Catalytic Converter Anti-Theft DIY Ideas
- Thread starter nobb
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brillo_76
Elite Member
Dont get me started Tim. As I believe in fundamental constitutional republic law. As I like to see capital punishment be restored. Why things like this happens is because the we elect the wrong type of people. As the masses who like to vote believe everything they get is free to them but is tax payer founded.
We really need to stay on topic though.
We all need the Truck Monkey theft deterrent systems for our 3rd Gen 4 RunnersYouTube
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brillo_76
Elite Member
I guess in time no greases can withstand constant bombardment temp of the cat, not even silicone greases.
I dont blame the laws that lawmakers passes. They pass what ever they feel is right. I blame the people tolerating those same laws that passes that are making us go through this thieving lifestyle. If people would voice their frustrations, laws would change for the better. But all is good for the masses, no complaint from them when its decision time. The same gets in office time and time again pushing out the same laws that protect cat thieves, a slap on the wrist.
And that's why there will be no slow down in the cat production and insurance industry.
I dont blame the laws that lawmakers passes. They pass what ever they feel is right. I blame the people tolerating those same laws that passes that are making us go through this thieving lifestyle. If people would voice their frustrations, laws would change for the better. But all is good for the masses, no complaint from them when its decision time. The same gets in office time and time again pushing out the same laws that protect cat thieves, a slap on the wrist.
And that's why there will be no slow down in the cat production and insurance industry.
MaineRunna
Member
I had 5 stolen out of my parking lot in September. Two were junks, two were ones I am fixing to sell and one was a customer's 3.4L Tundra. The cheapest one, the single converter off a 22RE 92 pickup would cost me $600+ from Toyota, the most expensive one, a 3.4L single one off a 97 would be over $1600 my cost. I have the guy multiple times on camera, looks like he was driving a gen 3, he dropped a Diablo sawzall blade and a mechanic's glove. Cops can't ID him. My customer insisted on a Toyota replacement. $1307 cost, $1687 list. For the $400 or so this dirtbag got scrapping those he did about $10,000 worth of damage if one was to have all five repaired at the dealer. I got about $3200 out of my business liability insurance for it. They take the Toyota ones because they are valuable and easy to saw off. Most scrap yards around here won't buy wacked off converters, but there are a bunch of buyers on Facebook Marketplace who will. We put a bait vehicle out and the cops waited for him, but he never came back. I am still pissed and have alot more motion lights now.
pluton
Senior Member
That means adding rebar to the almost the entire length of the pre- and post-cat exhaust pipe. Besides, the stupid ones---which are probably most of them---would use the same sawzall to go through the rebar. It'd just take a bit longer than w/o the rebar, right?
Who writes those laws? Liberal morons. Enabled by the same type that vote for them.
brillo_76
Elite Member
Just trying to stay on topic as we cant have trunk monkeys. Honestly, I doubt any method would work except keeping your rig in a garage. However, what would stop them from cutting it off in a parking lot etc. While you out and about.
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Would the vehicle not have to be parked for atleast 30 mins for it to cool down? I can't imagine a thief trying to steal a burning hot chunk of metal...that's just reckless.
fastone53w
New member
Weld razor blades and other sharp objects to it? LOL
I knew someone who actually glued razors and crap to his car's pricey foglights
My grandfather back in early 1980's had his 8-track player stolen like 3 time out of his cars.
He silver soldered heavy duty fishing hooks under dash and stringed some on wire cable around radio body.
He heard some sucker howling at about 4am, left him there till 9am and then he called the cops......
I was very little and my parents always stopped over after church on Sundays and I was like why the cops here and fire department..at grandparents house.. From the blood pool running out of the car my dad thought gramps shot the guy....
Firemen had to cut dash apart to get him out.. kind of back fired in that aspect..lol
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MN4runnerman
Senior Member
I had my cat cut off on my 99 back in October. They broke into the truck(smashed the quarter glass on the rear door) and tried to steal my CB radio which is bolted in too. While they did that they set off the fire extinguisher mounted near it so I’m hoping they got coated cuz the damn thing was empty. They didn’t get the radio but of course broke shit on the dash. Good thing Minnesota doesn’t have emissions checks because I’m welding in a resonator instead and making an O2 simulator.
Brian.
Member
In todays world, the cops would have arrested Gramps with breaking "booby-trap" laws. He'd spend the rest of his life in jail while the thief was awarded everything Gramps had worked for in life.
Funny story, but a radio (or a cat) Really isn't worth the tens of thousands of dollars worth of legal fees and potential loss of freedom (jail). I know, it's fun to talk about retribution against these worthless wastes of space, but please be smart. Ditto with really understanding your specific "Castle Law", those tend to be limited to protection of life and not property but there are some variances.
brillo_76
Elite Member
That's why I joking with the trunk monkey..
. However, the laws are way to soft on theft issues. The thief should be required to pay all damages to the property. If couldn't afford it have to work it off in a timely manner. So they learn consequences to actions. If that started happening. Things would change.Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk
Anybody remember the era of "No radio" signs & homemade ones stating "radio already stolen" or "No Valuables inside"?
Some outcry in public/editorials about surrendering to crooks & being vigilant was a big no-no. Always some excuse to protect the thief on his crime spree job-
mtbtim
Elite Member
Right now crime and punishment has swung pretty far left. But, as more people become victims of crime, even in cities like San Francisco with a plethora of looney left thinking people, they will get sick and tired of getting their vehicle windows smashed in and their homes burglarized by the local criminal element and the pendulum will swing back more to the right. I'm guessing people that live in SF are getting pretty tired of seeing the tent city homeless camps and stepping over human feces and used hypodermic needles on the sidewalks. Currently, SF is averaging 70 vehicle break-ins per day. That's a crazy amount.
Good law abiding citizens out number the pieces of shit in society by a long shot. At some point, if the local government doesn't do an effective job at protecting it's citizens, people will take the law into their own hands. Example: The Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King decision where Korean shop owners defended their businesses from looters by being armed with weapons. The old Death Wish movies that Charles Bronson made isn't a far-fetched possibility. We give people way too many chances to conform to society's rules and spend a crap load of money on these people. It's not going to happen in my lifetime but I can see a point in society where career criminals will no longer get to keep committing crimes and preying on people with very little penalty. They will be exterminated.
Good law abiding citizens out number the pieces of shit in society by a long shot. At some point, if the local government doesn't do an effective job at protecting it's citizens, people will take the law into their own hands. Example: The Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King decision where Korean shop owners defended their businesses from looters by being armed with weapons. The old Death Wish movies that Charles Bronson made isn't a far-fetched possibility. We give people way too many chances to conform to society's rules and spend a crap load of money on these people. It's not going to happen in my lifetime but I can see a point in society where career criminals will no longer get to keep committing crimes and preying on people with very little penalty. They will be exterminated.
shadow247
New member
Yeah I actually wrote a claim for one the other day. Had to pay for the damages they caused jacking up the vehicle wrong too. Put a big dent in the floor where they just jammed a floor jack under it, which cost quite a bit to fix.
pluton
Senior Member
I like the story of Grampa and the fishhook booby-trap. Ahh, the good old days.
While lubing the u-joints under the 4Runner today, I noticed that if you constructed a hefty skid plate that protected the short bit of exhaust pipe upstream of the cat (1997, 49-state version) plus the cat itself, that skid would prevent the removal of the cat because, while they could cut the downstream exhaust pipe, access to the upstream portion of the pipe and the cat is denied. Axially, the skid would run from just behind the sway bar to just in front of the trans crossmember. Laterally, it'd have to run all the way across from frame rail to frame rail. It'd be big and heavy, have to be shaped ($$$) to allow space for the various low hanging things.
While lubing the u-joints under the 4Runner today, I noticed that if you constructed a hefty skid plate that protected the short bit of exhaust pipe upstream of the cat (1997, 49-state version) plus the cat itself, that skid would prevent the removal of the cat because, while they could cut the downstream exhaust pipe, access to the upstream portion of the pipe and the cat is denied. Axially, the skid would run from just behind the sway bar to just in front of the trans crossmember. Laterally, it'd have to run all the way across from frame rail to frame rail. It'd be big and heavy, have to be shaped ($$$) to allow space for the various low hanging things.
