Whose Catalytic Converter got stolen story...

Ehh, maybe I'll be fine. Of course, a stolen cat would be much better than when my jeep xj was stolen and totaled last march. Those things can be up in running in under a minute with just a flathead and a rock.

 

I gotta agree it must be a location thing around here all the fly by night yards are all gone

 

I can't remember the last time I got cash at the scrap yard. Its been a check for the last 15 years around here.

I'm starting to think that you haven't been to a scrap yard in some time.

 

I'm starting to think you haven't been south of Michigan in some time either.

 

I can go down the road and buy meth, weed, horse and a stolen gun if I want, doesn't mean it is right or proper. Criminals are called that for a reason and they come in all walks and professions in life. There is always a sketchy person who will do whatever it takes to make a buck

 

harm reduction models in europe are actually cheaper, overall, then incarceration/punishment. However, they are controversial for the reason you point out: state sponsored drug center

 

Legalising dope would reduce significantly the cost of same and thereby reduce significantly the amount of crime needed to support a habit.

Next, closing publically funded "treatment" programs and letting junkies OD, as they are wont to do, would reduce significanly the number of junkies...

 

Horse? Is that slang or the actual animal?

 

horse=heroin

 

Never heard that one. I guess that's a good thing though

 

There are few myths that needs to be straighten up:
- most cat converters are stolen by cutting it off, not by removing bolts. It takes 30 seconds to cut both pipes with battery operated saw. Working with old rusted bolts is to much time consuming. If you are lucky (like me) thieve will cut between mounting flanges, but often it is easier to cut connecting pipes. If you are out of luck, ox sensor may be destroyed as well.

- there are scrap yards and scrap metal collectors all over the country (and Europe too) that take metal for cash with no questions asked. Not every one but it is enough to have just one in the area. Some shitty muffler shops will buy stolen cats acting as a middle man.

- I found the only way to protect cat converter is to make it inaccessible. Skid plate or armor is the best. Alarms or harness that are difficult to cut may protect the cat from being removed, but not from being destroyed by the attempt.

After my Tacoma cat was stolen I made a custom armor/skid plate that is protecting the cat from rocks and from thieves. The only way to access the piping and remove the cat is to remove this armor which is about 30 minutes job. I don't have pictures of this armor plate with me.

When I bought 4Runner I found two cat converters exposed under the frame, just screaming "take me, take me!". I adopted and installed OR-FAB skid plate for 5th gen Tacoma (all skid plates available for 4Runner did not cover cat converters). It is about 30 minute job to remove this skid plate and requires 3 different type of wrenches. PITA for oil change, but I can live with this. This is OR-FAB skid mounted in 4Runner:





This skid is overlapped by stock skid plate making front mounting screws inaccessible.

 

I sold the cats from my Tundra to a scrap yard last week. Walked in with cats, showed my ID, walked out with $90 cash in my pocket.


These were cats i pulled off 5 years ago when I installed headers and they've been sitting in my basement since then.

 

Dumbass stole my locked trailer one time and ended up selling it to a scrap yard for $27. The idiots at the yard took it even with the partially scratched off serial numbers from the thief. Scrap yards are crooked as far as I'm concerned

 

If the issue is easy access, I say just trade the Tacoma in for an Audi.

 

Converter protection should be just one of many layers of security.


Cat trap



Gas trap



Ass trap



Trap door

 

See now that's the shit I'm talking about!

 

Here in rural NE Florida stealing someone's catalytic converters, or most anything for that matter, is the quickest path to meeting your maker one can choose--we deplorables cling to our guns like baby doo to a blanket...

 

Not just NE Florida bro......we southern deplorables cling too....

 

That's why it sucks for honest people to live in California.

 

Born and raised there. I left a few years ago because I couldnt take it anymore.