Recently I’ve read that there have been a lot of catalytic converter was stolen off vehicles. I guess it seems to happen in bigger cities, but it can also happen in smaller cities I’m sure. I read somewhere that you can have some kind of steel plate installed in or around the converter to make it much more difficult to access the converter.
Does anybody have any ideas about securing the catalytic converter‘s on chinooks so that they cannot be easily stolen?
On another note, does anyone use any kind of vehicle alarm system or security system? This might include cameras audible alarms, sirens flashing lights and such. I already know about the steering wheel lock mechanisms that can easily be defeated.
Thankyou for your responses!
Some people etch or paint VIN on the cat, but it only works if they don't sand it off. I think they are selling the honeycomb material inside at the end, so there is no way anyone can trace it back unless the cat is still intent.
Anyway, the best thing is to make it a difficult target. Cat thieves are lazy, and they want to do a quick job. By giving them a harder time to remove the cat, they will move on to other targets. I mostly relied on being away from high density area, but I have a few items stolen in front of my house already (two bicycles). I am thinking about wrapping some steal cable around the cat, and attach the cable ends to the frame to make it a pain to just cut the pipe and drop the cat. Currently, I just put some items under the rig to make it more difficult to go there to make the cut, but the best thing I can do is to keep my fingers crossed for now.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
We had our catalytic converter cut out and stolen with the RV parked directly in front of our house in Seattle! It happened in the middle of the night, took them less than 60 seconds. Luckily, Meineke muffler shop near us had a big lift that could handle our 2003 Chinook concourse.
Looking under the rig, it's totally exposed. After the replacement, I was totally paranoid to leave it anywhere, so I set on a project to create my own CATALYTIC GUARD SHIELD. They sell them on Amazon for Prius and Honda Elements, which are favorite targets, but nothing for our E350 V10.
So... I spent an hour under the rig, fashioning out of cardboard and duck tape a mock-up or template of a shield that could be easily bolted to the frame, and would block access to the catalytic converter. Then, I took it down to Georgetown, which is an industrial part of south Seattle, and shopped around at welding and metal fabricators shops. Found one that fabricated the shield following my template, out of 1/8" aluminum sheet. Then my son and I bolted it under the frame. Now I sleep peacefully.
If anyone would like some photos of the setup, I'd be glad to share.
EN—Yes Indeed! I, for one would love to see the plans and pics of what you did. Can you post them into a reply under this thread? If not, please use the PM (private message) feature to sen them to me. Thanks
David
I'm getting a catalytic converter installed next week to replace a stolen one, and need to do something to make it more secure. I'm thinking of a CatStrap, but your solution sounds interesting.
Wow, two of us got their cat stolen already? That is pretty common, I would say. Mine is on my driveway, and I feel I will get hit pretty soon too. Please post info about the shield here, I am sure some of us can take advantage of your research.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
OK - here are a few pics. The most useful one is probably the blueprint. There's also a pic of the cardboard template I made (ignore the duct tape), and shots of it installed. I paid $400 for a sheet metal fabricator to make it.
Everyone's under-chassis may be different, so do your own research!
For some reason, I don't seem to be able to attach more than 2 pics at a time, so posting more next....
EN—great and helpful post. I’m adding this to my Project List. Probably won’t get to it until spring…I’m in that long recovery mode from rotator cuff surgery. Tore the right several years ago while winter hiking…a fluke “got my shorts caught in the bike seat saddle while dismounting” involving the other shoulder this time. Much as I hate the look of spandex on an old guy like me, I can now see a reason for wearing them. Oh well, active still beats inactive…even at my old age!
David
I’m using this Topic Post on Stolen Catalytics to let folks know that my daughter just had the Cat stolen from her Honda Element (like our Rigs high clearance/easy mark) while it was parked at the Denver Airport. So, for those who use their Rigs in conjunction with occasional air travel—Be forewarned…these large remote lots make for easy pickings!
…on the bright side, she did express hope that it might be covered under her Comprehensive Insurance.
David
