Cat Converter stolen Friday night

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fj80toyman

fj80toyman

...One Landcruiser at a time
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
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Location
So. California
I'm not sure if this has been posted a lot here, maybe but just a warning and a request.

The cat converter on my '94 pickup was stolen as the truck was parked in the driveway on Friday night late or early Saturday morning (3/15/08).

Thats the warning.

The request is, is there anything anyones doing to try and PREVENT theft of the converters?

My neighbor is a cop and mentioned that this was happening a lot and to mark the converter with the VIN or something. That doesn't prevent the theft, it only facilitates recovery of the stolen converter IF AND ONLY IF they catch the thief!

Is it a good idea to weld the flanges together, weld the bolts to the flange... what's anybody doing about this?

Maybe this is only a California problem, but it is a real problem down here. The cops told me that it's about 3 or 4 calls a night about this.

edit 3/24: New cat and upgrade to exhaust system on post #25. Thanks for all the comments and advice.
 
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It is vey common for Toyota Truck CATS to be stolen. Toyota Converters have a high amount of platnium in them and the ride height of the 4wd makes them an easy target. About the only preventative thing you can do is put a cheap autoparts store unit on it and hope the would be thieves recognize that its not a factory unit.

You can try to put some sort of skid plate under it to cover it up but if the thief is using sawsall they will just cut that off too.
 
My truck was stolen a little more than a year ago and the only thing they stole the truck for was to take that cat......... I put a magnaflow high flow cat and had the flanges welded on.... That is the only thing that you can truly do....... It is a real big problem not just here in cali............. It is happening everywhere.........
 
pirate4x4.com or 4x4wire.com had a thread on stolen Toyota catalytic converters and one of the products mentioned was a cable net that went over the catalytic converter. Couldn't find the thread but did find one where they mentioned an electrical shocking device for keeping rodents out. Tempered skid plate was another possible solution mentioned.
 
Put a new, shiny one on it. Leave it in the same place where it was stolen, with the repair order in plain sight on the dash. "Leave town" with all the lights out for a couple days. Lie under your other car with a Desert Eagle. Kneecap the sumbitch when he comes back.
 
Yup it has been a big problem ever since tweakers and dirt bags figured out about the Platinum inside them. The only thing you can really do is either straight pipe it right there and only put a cat on to smog, or come up with some elaborate skidplate that hinders their access and makes it take longer than they are willing to take to remove it. Welding it doesnt stop them most carry cordless sawzalls or grinders. The things people will do to get out of having a real job. :mad:

Texx's idea is also a very good one.:lol:

Really the best you can do is speak with the local police and inform them of the situation. Hopefully the more law enforcement that is in the know, the more likely these guys are going to get caught. They really ought to just stake out a parts recycler and wait for some douchebag to come waltzing up with 30 cats in a bag and nab him then.
 
Until I read this thread, I've never heard of a cat getting stolen. What do they do with them? I can't imagine a used one is worth that much, is it?
 
So, you're saying these tweakers are suddenly showing up at the scrap yards with a bunch of slightly used catalytic converters? Isn't that gonna look kinda odd? And how much do they get for them? Can't be more than $5 each. Doesn't seem hardly worth it, but I guess crack addicts are not exactly the smartest people in the world...

I expected you to tell me they used the platimum to make meth, now that they can't get Sudafed in large quantities anymore.
 
KLF said:
Until I read this thread, I've never heard of a cat getting stolen. What do they do with them? I can't imagine a used one is worth that much, is it?
Click to expand...

I recently sold a factory CAT set from a 91FJ80 Landcruiser that's getting a v8 swap. I sold it on Ebay and got $265.00.

I like Texx's idea too but if Texx is from Texas then I can see why. Texas is the only state in the union that you can use deadly force to protect property.
 
KLF said:
So, you're saying these tweakers are suddenly showing up at the scrap yards with a bunch of slightly used catalytic converters? Isn't that gonna look kinda odd? And how much do they get for them? Can't be more than $5 each. Doesn't seem hardly worth it, but I guess crack addicts are not exactly the smartest people in the world...

I expected you to tell me they used the platimum to make meth, now that they can't get Sudafed in large quantities anymore.
Click to expand...

I have heard recyclers are buying them for as much as $80, factory units even more I am sure. I would assume it would look odd but then again they might be smart about it and only take a few here, a few there....
 
mainly for the Rhodium in the cat.
rh1825lnb.webp
 
Weld the flanges. Job Done. You can also put some exotic torqx drive bolts with twelve point nuts on it, then weld the top of the flanges so the crook will do all he /she can to take the bolts off only to find that it's welded in place. Crack head cooks SUCK

Dynosoar :zilla:
 
All excellent advice no doubt, and Texx, don't think I didn't come up with at least a variation of that plan while I couldn't sleep feeling like my personal space had been compromised!

I talked to my muffler shop (I don't really "have" a muffler shop, it just makes it sound like I know people!), and he said that he in his little one-bay shop has done over 150 this year - Since January!! I couldn't believe it, but it made me feel not so stupid.

I asked him how much for a bolt-on replacement, he just said "weld it on!" The only thing that that does though is discourage the ones that are out for the easy ones - ones they don't have to use their sawzall on because it might make noise. If you're parked in the wrong place, they'll use a sawzall in a heartbeat.

He said he has welded the bolts to the flanges and welded the flanges together, that only makes it more difficult for them. In that case, if you piss the thief off, they may do other (read more expensive) damage just to make you pay for making them work harder for it - geez, I hate these guys.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. Right now I look at it as an excuse to upgrade - I'm going to have the cat tucked up real nice as that was the lowest hanging part. Then I'll try to fab some 'protection' up. If so, I'll post up and see what ya'll think.

Thanks, Dan.
 
sure glad i dont have to pass emitions ..
chucked the cat and put on the floooooowmaster ..
on the 91 yota that is.
100 cruiser pipe still stock .
 
It always just being at the wrong place at the wrong time.... Like when the crack heads bust your window only to find that you are not dumb enough to leave the faceplate in your car...

And then they take th 50cents of change...
 
Go to the junk yard and buy a crappy cat and hang it under your truck with mechanics wire...

They'll take that one first. A thief wants a quick grab and go.

Even better.......throw one in the bed of your truck.

If you weld they will cut it out.
 
KLF said:
So, you're saying these tweakers are suddenly showing up at the scrap yards with a bunch of slightly used catalytic converters? Isn't that gonna look kinda odd? And how much do they get for them? Can't be more than $5 each. Doesn't seem hardly worth it, but I guess crack addicts are not exactly the smartest people in the world...

I expected you to tell me they used the platimum to make meth, now that they can't get Sudafed in large quantities anymore.
Click to expand...

Sad but true, most people who work in scrap yards ARE Tweekers, and they don't do it to get the stuff to make it, they do it for the cash to get the stuff already made. There is a thread on Yotatech thats been talking of this as well. Sad story. Even if you weld one in there is not much that will stop a tweeker, they have a lot of time, a lot of patience, and nothing to lose. I would invest in a good vehicle security system if this was a problem in my area, but my truck is about 10 feet from my single pane bedroom window and I think my Russian SKS could more than handle the problem....especially with a 30 round clip and a filed firing pin :D How mad could a cop be when he found a dead dirtbag in your driveway with a pocket full of drugs and a glass pipe in his pocket? What a pitiful thing to steal. In some states they are starting to require a vehicle vin and copy of title just to dispose of an old cat for that very reason, or so I've heard but I can't say from experience.
 
Maybe a rod of hardened steel welded to the top of the pipe.... so they get part way in and it eats their blade.... :D They would probably run off after that.... Orrrrrr.....


Step one: Install rock lights...

Step two: Set up to run on motion detector.

Step three: Laugh arse off thinking of a tweeker rolling under your truck at night, only to be blinded by 4-6 lights pointed at him.....
 
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