Catalytic converter protection

Post em up. This is an ongoing topic. I’m sure many of us want/need to get a plate, but which one? Let’s see what you got. I’m stock OR in skids.

 

I just received my plate from Talons Garage and it’s an excellent option in my opinion the best option at the moment. 1/4 inch raw aluminum it’s a beast for a reasonable price. Twice as thick as the CCM and only 20 dollars more. If you need it for 2WD it’s 9 dollars cheaper than the CCM 2WD model.
https://www.talonsgarage.com/product-page/3rd-gen-toyota-tacoma

 

This one is available for the 3rd Gen. https://getcatsecurity.com/purchase...cat-security-toyota-tacoma-2016-2021-4wd-qv3z



In speaking with their sales manager about 2 months ago (I bought one for my wife's Prius...which was then totalled) he said that older Tacomas (first and second gen) are easier targets because the cats aren't integrated into the exhaust manifolds like they are on the third gen. That has unfortunately not stopped thieves, who will tend to get started, realize their mistake, and just leave everything attached and shredded.

 

if you plan to add offroad skids later on that will take care of it as well.

 

I have the CCM pictured above. I can sleep now knowing they can't steal my stuff like my neighbor across the street.

 

I installed this the day after I picked up my new Tacoma. Gives me a lot of peace of mind. Cat thefts have been brutal in my neighborhood over the past several months and anything that can at least deter potential thieves helps me sleep at night. Must have, IMO.

 

So... I have a 2.7/4WD that is very new and shiny and vulnerable underneath. It looks like the CCM would work for the front cat...



But is there anything for the secondary one (I'm assuming that's a secondary and not a resonator)?

 

Any drilling required for installation?

 

Might also want to check out Desert Eagle Offroad, located in TX. Ordered mine a few days ago, still awaiting through FedEx, but Kent (the owner) had them in stock for my 2015. Not sure if there's any major difference in the 2nd gen and 3rd gen frames. I've seen a bunch of 3rd gen guys mounting this plate. But it's just another bolt on option.

 

Not necessarily. You can install without drilling holes into the frame if you don’t feel comfortable doing that. I still think it would be an effective deterrent.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/theft-prevention-catalytic-converter.555978/

 

Thanks. I found this a day after I started this other one. So far I’ve learned that our cats have had an attempt with theft prevention (stainless). But it’s seems that it will only do so much and just result in a mangled situation.
I’m also still wondering about the “2nd” cat down the line.

 

I used the cat strap for the secondary cat and Talon’s for the primary

 

Ummmm. Where’s the truck?

 

Got any pics?

 

You’ll have to zoom in but you can see the cat strap on the last bit of pipe to the muffler flange. I ran it the full length from the header to the muffler and then Talons skid plate was installed afterwards

 

I installed the CCM plate under mine, half to protect the cats and half to keep out branches and gravel that get thrown up by the roads I drive on. I was able to do it without drilling the frame, there are plenty enough bolt points to keep it structurally sound and they'd be quite time consuming to all remove so I'm not concerned about that. The side plates mount with bolts that use a standard sized torx head, but with a raised part in the center to make them only work with the special bit the plate came with.

The real hassle was getting it to work with the Pro skidplate though. As you can see in the design, it seems like they may have tried to make it fit the notch in the Pro skid, but didn't quite succeed because the protruding section is too large. I had to borrow a saw to cut the end down to shorten it, then trim the outer corners down to clear the rounded inside edges on the Pro skid. I didn't like using just one bolt on the front, so I borrowed some scrap aluminum and cut a couple strips to be able to run bolts through two of the drain holes instead of just one. The center hole is open to allow the frame to drain water, and there are also holes on the outer sides of the other two holes to allow further draining to prevent water pooling there.

While someone could of course still cut through the plate, it would take a good chunk of time to do so, and then more time to remove the cut pieces. The cats also seem too big to come out unless most of the main plate is already gone, so even though getting the side plates off allows you to access the cats, it doesn't seem like they'd be able to be removed if the main plate is still there.

 

Why not weld three or 4 chunks of grade 120 chain from the cat to the frame…?