BudBuilt CATALYTIC CONVERTER GUARD installation

[paulunm]

Yeah I think they'd just move on or sawzall the skids themselves.

I think you'd need to have the ability to tighten periodically, so I wouldn't use those break off nuts. My Budbuilt skids are creaking a bit so I think I need to tighten everything up a bit. Good to be able to do that, or remove for servicing.

 

[CharlieS]

Yeah I think they'd just move on or sawzall the skids themselves.

I think you'd need to have the ability to tighten periodically, so I wouldn't use those break off nuts. My Budbuilt skids are creaking a bit so I think I need to tighten everything up a bit. Good to be able to do that, or remove for servicing.

Absolutely, make sure they are removable for servicing. I've had a couple of sets of budbuilt skids and they come off periodically for maintenance, service, upgrades and cleaning.

 

[bloc]

Another security option, depending on access, would be high strength thread locker. If you can get in there with a propane or map torch to heat up the nut you can loosen it, otherwise you will probably break the bolt before the nut moves.

 

[Madtiger]

From website: “Non-standard hardware to deter theft”

Isn’t this good enough for 99.999% of cat thief?

 

[FrazzledHunter]

Another security option, depending on access, would be high strength thread locker. If you can get in there with a propane or map torch to heat up the nut you can loosen it, otherwise you will probably break the bolt before the nut moves.

How hot do the cats get? Serious question...just wondering.

 

[TeCKis300]

How hot do the cats get? Serious question...just wondering.

Cats would get as hot as exhaust gas temps (EGTs) could range. For a stock car, something around 1000*F wouldn't be out of the question for heavy loads or hard climbs.

 

[bloc]

Agreed. Very hot. More than enough to loosen up that thread locker.

But the hottest parts of the cats have heat shields and the places those nuts go won’t see anywhere near the temps needed to loosen it.

I’m just not sure if once the parts are in place we can get access to the nut with a torch to heat them and release the thread locker. Determining that would be a job for someone with them already installed.

 

[gaijin]

Agreed. Very hot. More than enough to loosen up that thread locker.

But the hottest parts of the cats have heat shields and the places those nuts go won’t see anywhere near the temps needed to loosen it.

I’m just not sure if once the parts are in place we can get access to the nut with a torch to heat them and release the thread locker. Determining that would be a job for someone with them already installed.

I have a related question:

So... why do BudBuilt recommend Anti-Seize on the stainless hardware?

Inquiring minds need to know.

 

[TeCKis300]

The hardware nearby shouldn't get anywhere near EGT temps. Maybe 200*F in more extreme slow crawling conditions.

 

[bloc]

I have a related question:

So... why do BudBuilt recommend Anti-Seize on the stainless hardware?

View attachment 3073074

Inquiring minds need to know.

Stainless on stainless is really bad about galling unless very expensive coatings are applied, and those are specific to the thermal/chemical environment. Recommending anti-seize is the easy and widely understood way to handle things.

Thread locker has some anti-seize qualities for the record.. simply putting a layer of almost anything between the contact surfaces of stainless before they slide across each other helps.

But not as well as real anti-seize.

 

[gaijin]

Stainless on stainless is really bad about galling unless very expensive coatings are applied, and those are specific to the thermal/chemical environment. Recommending anti-seize is the easy and widely understood way to handle things.

Thread locker has some anti-seize qualities for the record.. simply putting a layer of almost anything between the contact surfaces of stainless before they slide across each other helps.

But not as well as real anti-seize.

Got it. Thanks

 

[CharlieS]

I have a related question:

So... why do BudBuilt recommend Anti-Seize on the stainless hardware?

View attachment 3073074

Inquiring minds need to know.

galling

 

[chris777]

I got mine on! They look great, and feel MUCH less vulnerable to having my cats stolen again, especially while on vacation 2000 miles from home , pulling a camper. I do wish BudBuilt had made them a little longer. But since it takes two cuts to remove one side and not one, I think they will do their job.

 

[brasskey]

@chris777 - I stole your photo.

For those of you that have installed, I want to make sure I'm not missing anything. After I installed, I was surprised that it's still easy to get a sawzall in there and make three cuts (one end of each cat and one in the middle). These are shown by red arrows in the attachment. Everything can be pulled back towards the rear of the vehicle (shown with blue arrow). So, it's really not preventing a quick criminal. I also linked a quick video below from the driver's side guard showing how easy a sawzall can go at each location. I thought these would better cover the cats to protect a sawzall from getting in there, but they don't extend towards the outside enough. Am I missing something?

 

[bloc]

Making a complete cut through stainless with such a long blade is often more difficult than it seems… but I agree that is more room than I’d like, with the caveat that I’d need to see it up close to determine if I could actually get the cats out. (I have plenty of experience cutting metal)

On the other hand this may be enough protection to deter 90% of thieves while still allowing room for air to move around, which IMO is also important.

For the record the rearmost cut is pointless to highlight. There is no reasonable way to protect that area, and that cut by itself does nothing for a thief.

 

[brasskey]

I’d like, with the caveat that I’d need to see it up close to determine if I could actually get the cats out. (I have plenty of experience cutting metal)

There's plenty of room to get them out the rear where I have the blue arrow. I'll try and get some better photos.

For the record the rearmost cut is pointless to highlight. There is no reasonable way to protect that area, and that cut by itself does nothing for a thief.

Don't see how it's pointless to highlight. Just showing a thief could simply cut the rearmost and then the middle and the rear one is out.

 

[Markuson]

I get it. But I'm not totally convinced how much of a deterrent these will be simply bolted as they appear to be. Grinding the bolts would be the only way to get to them. That would be precisely the point. The bad guys would have to do the same.

I guess I'll install them as they come and then decide.

Truck has 15K miles on it. If I actually go the security nut route the cats won't need any service for a very long while.

Cat thieves want the quickest swipe possible. This little sliw-down should be more than enough for them to move on…

 

[bloc]

Don't see how it's pointless to highlight. Just showing a thief could simply cut the rearmost and then the middle and the rear one is out.

With the caveat I mentioned, that I haven’t seen this all in person yet, the rear cut is pointless if the front cuts can’t be completed, and I believe those cuts would be more difficult than they seem.

 

[hankinid]

Ack! Don't do it! You will need to remove the shields for some reason someday and you'll just make it way hard. The bad guys who steal the cats aren't going to mess around with removing nuts and bolts anyway. They'll just move on to an easier target. They need speedy removals.

Speaking of removing nuts, our 2 Belgian Shepherds have a run of the place at night. They'd announce strangers in the parking area and welcome the bad guys in their own way. There's also a 12 gauge Ithaca inside over the door, guaranteeing a speedy "removal".

 

[brasskey]

With the caveat I mentioned, that I haven’t seen this all in person yet, the rear cut is pointless if the front cuts can’t be completed, and I believe those cuts would be more difficult than they seem.

No, the front and middle cuts are not difficult and can be competed. Are they harder than if the guards weren’t there? Sure. But, I showed with the blade on the pipe in each location. Weird you seem so confident when you actually haven’t seen an install.