A fight to protect my catalytic converter

[JWA]

Originally Posted by Jack K

On topic, a very satisfying outcome:

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/car-crushes-catalytic-converter-thief-to-death-in-anaheim/2552702/

Agreed it was a happy ending........

If scrap yards and similar recycling outfits didn't buy the precious metals inside the cat's there'd be far, far less of this BS.

I'm a bit shocked how bold and willing to fight back some of these thieves have become.

[Jack K]

[/QUOTE]Agreed it was a happy ending........

If scrap yards and similar recycling outfits didn't buy the precious metals inside the cat's there'd be far, far less of this BS.

I'm a bit shocked how bold and willing to fight back some of these thieves have become.[/QUOTE]


Yes, the general decline in civilized norms of behavior is really disheartening. And sadly, the trend is going the wrong way and seems to be accelerating.

[Orv]

Back in the 1980s my grandpa had thieves try to steal the gasoline out of his farm truck...using tools they'd stolen from his barn. It was ever thus. Social media and the 24-hour news cycle just mean we hear these stories instead of them staying family lore.

There are local spikes now and then but the trend is downward:
https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s...property-crime

That's not to say that catalytic converter theft isn't a real problem, just that I don't see it as a symptom of society accelerating toward collapse or anything. It spikes every time the cost of precious metals goes up -- platinum and rhodium both recently hit five-year highs.

[Orv]

As far as protection goes, anything made of hardened steel will really slow down a reciprocating saw. So will cable, although cable is easily defeated with bolt cutters. The solutions I've seen are mostly aimed at heavy fleet trucks, since they sit overnight in industrial parking lots and are high off the ground, but they generally involve surrounding the cat with cable so it can't be removed after being cut out, or putting hardened sleeving around the pipes so they can't be cut to start with. The goal seems to be to either slow a thief down enough that they try some other vehicle, or to require tools they wouldn't normally have with them.

[simplesez]

Agreed. Same petty crimes and just more people doing it as population continues to grow. Rules of civilization have been broken since civilization started. The means and methods to these crimes constantly change.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by Orv

As far as protection goes, anything made of hardened steel will really slow down a reciprocating saw. So will cable, although cable is easily defeated with bolt cutters. The solutions I've seen are mostly aimed at heavy fleet trucks, since they sit overnight in industrial parking lots and are high off the ground, but they generally involve surrounding the cat with cable so it can't be removed after being cut out, or putting hardened sleeving around the pipes so they can't be cut to start with. The goal seems to be to either slow a thief down enough that they try some other vehicle, or to require tools they wouldn't normally have with them.

^^^^^exactly! ....still thinking.......

[campism]

At our old place in town I parked the Vanagon Westy off an alley behind our house. Started up one morning and heard an exhaust leak and figured the muffler had given out. Got underneath to look and found the tailpipe sawed through just ahead of the cat.


Resigned myself to more fun living in the city and prepared to order replacement parts. Next morning the Honda Pilot belonging to the next door neighbor fired up with the BLAT of an open pipe; they'd gotten his cat overnight.

The threat is real but uparmoring might not be practical.

[Orv]

I kinda like the skid plate idea. It seems practical and dual-purpose. In a target-rich environment it seems like just hiding the cat from view in a way that looks time-consuming to bypass is probably enough. While a full skid plate (one that can support the weight of the vehicle) would be a lot of work, underbody armor that protects from flying rocks and keeps dry vegetation away from the cat would be easier and still pretty useful.

If you actually drive hard on gravel roads a lot I'd suggest using countersunk fasteners. I've seen skid plates drop off of rally cars after rocks sheared off the exposed bolt heads.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by Orv

I kinda like the skid plate idea. It seems practical and dual-purpose. In a target-rich environment it seems like just hiding the cat from view in a way that looks time-consuming to bypass is probably enough. While a full skid plate (one that can support the weight of the vehicle) would be a lot of work, underbody armor that protects from flying rocks and keeps dry vegetation away from the cat would be easier and still pretty useful.

If you actually drive hard on gravel roads a lot I'd suggest using countersunk fasteners. I've seen skid plates drop off of rally cars after rocks sheared off the exposed bolt heads.

Thin steel (hardened steel way better...but difficult to work with) makes more sense then aluminum for theft protection since steel will slow down a sawsall a lot more than aluminum. Countersunk or button heads would be fasteners of choice.


For dual purpose (theft protection + skid plate) maybe aluminum makes more sense, and again we are just trying to get the thief to move on.


I suppose fastening some steel cables longitudinally across the converter and exhaust with a bunch of hose clamps would also discourage the thieves since this would take time to un-do.


Or perhaps some exhaust U bolts instead of hose clamps



1/4" wire rope is 90 cents/ft from Mcmaster....


https://www.mcmaster.com/steel-cable...for-lifting-8/

[Lord Humungus]

Mine was taken last year. Was thinking of all the same solutions listed above.
Found this online, but didn't pull the trigger on the purchase. Anyone try these?

https://catclamp.com/