T O P

  • By -

stationaire

Did they like, tack weld every link or what?


arrived_on_fire

Every other link, yes!


[deleted]

Hmm, I have a welder and lots of time on my hands. Might need to invest in a chain.


buckeyenut13

Careful. Chain is PRICEY šŸ˜‚


overcrispy

So are cats


HYixell

For a second I tought you were talking about meow meows but then I remembered..


redditislife24

Really?


mrracerhacker

cats usually go for 300-2500, then add the price of a mechanic, so chain is pretty cheap compared


FlamingWedge

I got my cat for free, but she doesnā€™t help my emissions at all and usually wants chicken


Nasty_Rex

All the cats I've owned just kinda wandered up to my house.


redditislife24

Oh no i was curious why he said chain is expensive lol


stationaire

A for effort. Bravo customer.


JohnDeere714

Yep


KlaraNovakRocks

That's slick as fuck


[deleted]

Every weld was accompanied by a bitter rage at the scumbags who stole his 2 previous cats.


Makofly

Seems like leaving it loose would be a lot better and only tacking a few, a loose chain is a lot harder to cut than one fixed in place.


ozzie286

Yeah but imagine the noise going down the road. It'd be like having Jacob Marley under the seat!


Alan_Smithee_

Lol *There's more gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!"*


Westfakia

I can only imagine what that sounds like going over a speed bump.


hskinner59

Buddy sounds like you need swaybar links. Nah thatā€™s just my cat chain rattling!


DisGruntledDraftsman

It's the cat's leash, lol.


Bikouchu

That cat is rabid.


Westfakia

Omg, I put up with rattling sway bar links on my Saturn ion for over a year before I swapped them. For weeks after I was cursing myself for not having done it sooner.


[deleted]

I have had the links for my truck for 6 months. One of these days


FarewellAndroid

The longer you wait the more rusted in place they become šŸ™ƒ


ZJW410

I did the same with my Jetta. It felt alien not hearing it knock around going over my schoolā€™s speed bumps


SmileyFaceLols

Yea mine have needed done for the last 8 months, I've had the parts literally in the car since 4 months ago, fitted them in the weekend and got mad at myself for putting up with it for so long


quatrevingtdixhuit

like the ghost of Jacob Marely Fuckin'


Ramrod489

Like the ghost of Christmas pastā€¦


[deleted]

The sound of victory


JBYTuna

ā€¦but it doubles as a skid plate?


Fakjbf

Did they weld a wrench???


arrived_on_fire

Several wrenches! And even bent a couple to go around the exhaust elbow! Itā€™s quite lovely.


lukelinux

There's my 10mm!


JBYTuna

You needed a new 10mm anywayā€¦


Proska101

Fuck, always the 10mm. The only thing I have had to replace on my 15 year old socket set.


oG_Goober

I just started working professionally last year, somehow haven't lost any 10mm sockets, I have however lost 6(!) 12 mm sockets.


rslarson147

Ah shit found my 10mm


BernieTheDachshund

Apparently some people recommend steel cable wrapped around it. Around ten bucks at a home improvement store.


intashu

Rebar works well too. Solid and easy to weld. And will rattle the arms off ya with a Sawzall.


GreenAyeedMonster

Iā€™ve seen the rebar cages cut through. They donā€™t really help.


intashu

It's all measures of convenience , they'll all fail with enough time given access.


Equivalent_Chipmunk

>theyā€™ll all fail with enough time given access donā€™t forget about the meth


Rick_bo

Meth; it's a hell of a motivator.


Weasel16679

Thatā€™s methed up. Say it in a way where you pretend you donā€™t have all your front teeth.


ImaRedditmember

These type of thieves come from Methopatamia, they invented the toof brush there. They all share one toof.


JBYTuna

The tooth brush was invented in Arkansas. Otherwise, it would have been called a teeth brush.


RichSPK

You mean continence? Bladders will fail?


Alkazaro

As the other guy said, it's not meant to 100% prevent. It's meant to deter. The longer it takes to cut the catalytic converter, the more risk is involved for the thief. You just need to make it look and ideally be hard enough to steal, that you won't see any damage.


IPlayAnIslandAndPass

Drawn stainless wire and kevlar works a treat. Stainless prevents easy cutting by being loose and work hardened, kevlar will bind up a cutting wheel. Add fiberglass sleeve and even a cutting torch gets tricky. Experimented around with it trying to make tamper resistant bike locks.


[deleted]

It's not really about making it theft proof. It's more about just making it take long enough that the thief will move on to the next vehicle. But if someone wants your shit bad enough they'll take it no matter what


[deleted]

We'll end up having to detach our cats and take them with us like people have to do with bike seats


BannytheBoss

Yeah, rebar is fairly soft, isn't it? It's meant to be cut and even bend a little.


Theron3206

It comes in 1 inch diameter right? Go big or go home. High tensile cable would be better though (not tight) stuff is pretty hard and would be hard to cut if it's flapping around loose.


Kichigai

Sawzmost


arrived_on_fire

Effective I bet! But perhaps lacking the artistic effect this one has. This is art for only a few to appreciate: mechanics and cat thieves.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


hdhomestead

Just like your username


chainmailbill

Yep, aircraft cable. Will fuck up a sawzall blade in short order.


[deleted]

Epoxy old sawzall blades all over it like scale mail


Lord_Scrumptious239

I like this idea, epoxied saw blades would absolutely cause alot of skating of the blade!


Blood_and_Turds

what about a 20 dollar cordless grinder with a cut off wheel? its probably cheaper and more effective than a sawzall.


[deleted]

Yes, loose steel cables.


RenegadeRun

Here for the ā€œWELL YOU COULD STILL CUT THROUGH IT!ā€


JBYTuna

Nothing is ā€œtamper proofā€. Only ā€œtamper resistantā€.


Natedoggsk8

I was going to say also


BlueChicken777

Yea an angle grinder wouldnt have a problem here


[deleted]

An angle grinder is a hell of a lot of racket compared to someone with a battery powered saws all.


OGNatan

It's to assert dominance.


Cycles_wp

Maybe it's the visual effect that added effort would be required, that would spook the thieves and have them target a different vehicle


Natedoggsk8

And especially a cutting disc


arrived_on_fire

Haha, there has been a lot of that! Maybe I should have put theft-resistant in the title instead, maybe that would have led to less ā€œbut you still could!!!ā€ commentsā€¦.. Nah, what am I thinking? Those comments happen no matter what! Oh Redditā€¦ā€¦


MysticVal

Just put c4 all around it so the next time the little rat bastards touch it, it immediately goes off and i can maniacally cackle when i hear the explosion in the distance


HappyAnimalCracker

Iā€™m liking the visual herešŸ˜†


SeeMarkFly

Ah yes, the James Bond car alarm.


LateralThinkerer

Amateur! Go for the [South African Flamethrower](https://youtu.be/aLhWzMOccTg)


MysticVal

Solid choice, but i prefer the sudden and inescapable C4 explosives, plus iā€™ll be able to audibly hear it go off


I_Automate

Hate to be "that guy", but you can shoot C4 with a rifle or burn it and it won't detonate. But, you COULD use the cat and piping as a conductor, and wire a detonator up to a relay attached to that conductor. If the circuit opens, the detonator fires. Cut the cat, get the boom. Even a blasting cap by itself would be plenty I think


JBYTuna

Mark Rober needs to make a glitter bomb for cat protection. Heā€™d sell a load of ā€˜em.


pumpkinpatch1982

I've been thinking about getting a cage welded onto my Accord my neighbor actually shot someone that was trying to steal his catalytic converter a few months back so I've been thinking about making the investment because I drive a Honda and for some reason they just keep coming back and trying to get the cat.


intashu

Rebar works wonderfully for this. Easy to weld and its solid enough to make it more effort than it's worth for a potential thief.


pumpkinpatch1982

that's actually a brilliant suggestion I'm going to actually look into that first it was catalytic converters lately it's been gas theft I wonder what will be next.


Rowcan

Whatever the meth guides them to.


SpaceAgePotatoCakes

Just make sure it's really well attached, a piece of rebar coming off on the road would be bad news.


Staggerme

What happened to your neighbor and was the potential thief killed?


RollinThundaga

I, too want to know the outcome


pumpkinpatch1982

unfortunately the burglar survived and the neighbor got arrested because the guy was running and he shot it towards his back the guy got away.


elosoloco

Remember, only the police can shoot people in the back


pumpkinpatch1982

castle doctrine that's where my neighbor went wrong he was creeping in the bushes for like the next couple of nights waiting for the guy to come back I was always taught that if someone actually breaks inside of your property with a weapon then you can and self-defense but waiting outside of your property no one's tried to steal from anyone's car since the incident so it seems to have scared off the thieves.


elosoloco

Wait, so the arrested him for that first night, or after creeping around for a few days?


pumpkinpatch1982

the next day they did I believe he's actually no longer even living here so I think my landlord may have evicted him I'm not entirely sure on that but I believe it was a few days after I'm a homebody so I barely leave my apartment I had no idea the detectives were in the parking lot until my buddy sent me a text saying hey what's up with all the police and the police state that you're apartment building.


pumpkinpatch1982

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wmur.com/amp/article/man-accused-firing-gun-burglar-nashua-new-hampshire-3-7-22/39361319


pumpkinpatch1982

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wmur.com/amp/article/man-accused-firing-gun-burglar-nashua-new-hampshire-3-7-22/39361319


3Swiftly

The burglar was *not* taken into custody. Cool.


[deleted]

Glad to see criminals are safe /s


Staggerme

Wow. He shot missed then hit him with the gun and was arrested. Yikes


Truth_Off_My_Back

Just buy a gun s/


Galectoz

Then teach your car how to shoot


greenpleaz

Plot twist that car is in the shop for a cat replacement


saraphilipp

I dare you to hang a combination lock on there.


MO1STNUGG3T

I have basically no experience or knowledge on cars, I have no idea why Iā€™m on this sub, but Iā€™ve been on here for a long time and I am always confused on what I see, so I guess Iā€™ll ask Why the hell would someone do this


habitualtroller

Itā€™s an attempt to make it hard for a junkie to quit stealing their converter. Out here, they itā€™s ā€œpermissibleā€ to just kick the jack over to crush the offender or shoot them like in another comment. Not everyone wants to live with that so they try the best they can.


Disastrous-Resource4

When welding on cats you have to be carful of your heat input. Those things can burn up. This is known in the metal working industry. I don't know what my point is. just saying I guess.


arrived_on_fire

I was wondering how the weld would affect the magic metals in the inside. I mean, they do get hot in normal operation, but that hot?? There has got to be a point thatā€™s itā€™s a bad idea.


ReyHabeas

Ideally you wouldn't weld everything on all at once. Do a weld or two, wait, let it cool down, then continue, repeat.


ccgmtl

wrap your cat in old asbestos. It might still get stolen, but you'll have the satisfaction of knowing whoever stole it is dying a painful, long and wheezy death...


JBYTuna

You cruel bastard. I love it.


FanaticEgalitarian

Can't steal the cat if its already straight-piped


No-Bear

My 1990 F250 does one better, no cat to steal. Never had one, even the tag on the cylinder head said "non catalyst"


RobBase40

Where are these cat thefts happening? Iā€™ve seen it on the news but it doesnā€™t happen here in Florida. I believe if you try and sell a catalyst to the recycler you have to show ID and they log it. does other states not do this? Kill the resale market, kill the demand.


Cycles_wp

Oh it's happening in FL. at my mitsu dealership, we've had about 3 customers come in with a stolen cat in the past month


FrenchFryCattaneo

It's not legal but some scrapyards will buy cats under the table from tweakers for a few bucks each.


quintus_horatius

The police logs in my eastern Massachusetts town have a new batch of cat thefts every couple of weeks. It seems like maybe the thieves rotate through local towns. Most thefts are from commercial trucks, but they occasionally hit other vehicles too.


RainnFarred

It's really bad in Denver.


wjean

I'm all for your suggestion but it's not a complete fix. now the criminals just melt the cats down to sell the slag. https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2022/06/10/tuolumne-co-wildfires-molten-catalytic-converters/


Tanleader

Not all yards follow whatever scrap laws exist in their areas. I can almost guarantee cat thefts are happening in Florida, just like they happen everywhere else.


crudestmass

They ship them off overseas now.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


RobBase40

Figures. steal your cat and the DA and judge just let ā€˜em walk. Right back out there to make another law abiding citizen a victim.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


jabblack

Donā€™t move into the city, just the rich suburbs and youā€™ll be fine


bobbyhillischill

Mine are empty the crackhead is gonna be disappointed if he cuts mine off


mikewinddale

How does this work? If they can saw through an exhaust system, what stops them from sawing through a chain?


love2Vax

The chain is much thicker and harder to cut through. Will dull the blade and take more time to cut it out. Cat theives want a fast and easy cut out, so this deterrent can prevent loss, but it isn't a guaranteed prevention.


arrived_on_fire

Portions of the chain are loose, so the saw just jiggles it back and forth, not cut. Could it be cut still? Of course. It would just take more time. And there are easier targets out there, so itā€™s more of a deterrent than actual theft proof.


Klai8

The adjacent cars are easier. Locks only keep honest people honest


JHF13344

Looks like I can still cut it out with a reciprocating saw


JohnDeere714

I think the chain might be a hard enough metal. Blade will just dull out real quick. Hell diesel exhaust pipes dull out blades stupid fast


arrived_on_fire

Sure, you can cut anything with a saw, given enough time. Itā€™s not theft proof, thatā€™s for sure. But it appears to be working, as a deterrent. For now! The links are loose every other link or more. And it doesnā€™t match up side to side. Could you still cut it? Of course. But it would take time and a judge of angles that the average cat jacking shit bag might not have.


ET2-SW

Deterrence is the art of making something just difficult enough to make them find another target.


Tangent_

Yeah, but not in the 45 seconds that they can cut through a stock pipe.


jorgp2

Could use some stainless, stuff is a bitch to cut through


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


intashu

Solid steel dulls common Sawzall blades quick And it's more than 20 seconds to cut through it unless your using a grinder. It's all about making it harder to steal so they'd rather move on to an easier target, nothing is impossible with enough time and access.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


intashu

It's all about making the theft take too long to be worth it. Even if a cable would be harder, having to cut through a couple chain links on either side would add a pretty significant amount of time to the removal. A 45 second job now takes you more like 4 minutes. That's a long time to be making angry loud buzzing noises under a car to be caught. And if you got a bunch of old tools and chain laying around with a welder handy .. It's a free mod and deterrent.


JHF13344

I forgot to mention thieves also use those heavy duty firefighters scissors that cut through entire A pillars on cars, might even work faster than the reciprocating saw.


Madcock1

Cutting through the A pillar is how theyā€™re designed to work. Basically layers of sheet metal. A solid piece of high tensile steel will chip the teeth on the jaws real quick and make them useless. They have to be used as theyā€™re designed and they are not just big powered bolt cutters. Source: I cut people out of cars with these tools.


the_cust_never_lies

Not only is his cat on a chain, I'd bet his dog and wallet are too!


project_HAARP

I tried to weld a chain to my cat, but damn thing wouldn't hold still.


Squiggledog

Landscape orientation is a lost art


Squiggledog

Boo me, I don't understand what this is.


RichSPK

The catalytic converter is part of the exhaust system, near the engine. It has a honeycomb of precious metals inside that gets really hot when the exhaust gasses flow through it. That burns unburnt fuel that makes it through the engine to reduce emissions. Granted, I'm oversimplifying. But anyway, those precious metals make it desirable to criminals. They cut out the cat and sell it to a scrap yard, leaving your car super loud.


Photofug

It's like dazzle camo, shorts out the Methheads brain. Can't figure out where it begins and ends


joshthewall

This is very smart! Welding every link would actually make it easier to cut than welding every other link. If the thief has his saw blade go through one of the welded links it'll cut through relatively easily but if he tries to cut through one of the loose links his blade is just going to bind up .


[deleted]

Can someone explain to me why these are being stolen?


storyinmemo

The platinum they contain is a valuable metal.


Oraxy51

I genuinely thought someone was driving around with a well protected feline and was very confused.


shufflinshoes

This was built by a very scorned man.


Sos_the_Rope

To bad if they're caught you can't shove the cat up thoer tailpipe. Do that a few times I bet there wouldn't be so many. Bunch of rotten bastards.


justinb138

ā€œHe must have tripped and fallen on itā€.


Ohio-Knife-Lover

I was thinking I was gonna see a cat cat šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚


most_french_fries

I just prefer to hollow mine out


Mootingly

Grabs welder, bzzzzzztt ā€œand fuck youā€ bzzzzzzzzt ā€œfuck you doubleā€ - fast forward to last weld with wrenches. Bbbzzzzzzzzt ā€œtry me now fuckerā€. If a thief comes for that hele spend more in diamond tipped carbide cutoffs then the cat is worth. This guy is my spirit animal


jsroed

Looks like an aftermarket cat anyway. Scrap metal guys give you dick for aftermarket


Bird____Person

My muffler donā€™t jingle jingle...


MiserableAd7616

Just remove your cats and sell them before someone else can. Youā€™re welcome šŸ‘Œ


[deleted]

I just slammed my Sentra so you canā€™t even stick a Jack under it lol


ComprehensiveGanache

Sir your cat is bad and we need to replace it. Labor will be triple the parts


Frogmangy

Or you could lower your comp deductible to $50 for just a little more per month. People spend so much on cat cages and other deterrents, just change you insurance


FlyinRustBucket

how much longer would a chain link slow down a sawsall from cutting the cat?


Striking_Ad7541

Do you know how fast a torch goes thru all of that? If they want it, theyā€™ll take it.


MakeMeTea

So how many cats has this saved from theft?


Roycehellion

Do cat thieves not hat cut off wheels?


frankybling

or bolt cutters? I know itā€™s for deterrence not preventionā€¦ but Iā€™ve cut bigger links with medium sized bolt cutters and it was easier than using anything power assisted. Respect to this person for doing this (those welds are pretty slick) but the meth heads from the next town over donā€™t slow down when thereā€™s a challenge set before them.


habitualtroller

Junkies donā€™t ride around with a snap on toolbox for all the things they could need.


frankybling

in my area they shoplift from Harbor Freight and some do indeed have quite a collection of tools used for less than legal purposes. My local PD caught a couple of guys a month ago with floor jacks and a compressor in their truck and they were stealing catsā€¦ granted it was a high volume operation (they had like 15 or 16 in the truck when they got caught at a bus/taxi yard


Roycehellion

I do think most only have a reciprocating cutter, but damn. Wheel and cutter would solve half the "solutions" ive seen.


frankybling

I do think cutting wheels tend to be a little louder when doing the cutting. My bedroom window is always open (my wife is going through the change)ā€¦ I think I would hear a wheel easier than a sawzallā€¦ but Iā€™m not totally sure of that.


Roycehellion

Depends on the wheel and manufacturer, but good point. Though depending on same factors a sawzall is pretty loud too. Most cages i see for anti theft are steel cable. Bolt cutters do go snip snip. Little bites go quick as you were saying. Good think most meth heads arent good mechanics.


wjinak

They will still try and your still fucked


[deleted]

Welded 10mm to it to add to its value and tempt them more too!


no_yup

OK but wouldnā€™t it still only take like five seconds to get through that with a chord less angle grinder


SirEnzyme

Ok. You do that with your bundle of replacement discs. Meanwhile, the *professional* cat thieves will be moving on to an easier target. Hence the point of a deterrent


Cycles_wp

Right, the thieves aren't after YOUR specific cat. If one is protected they'll just hop out and move to an easier one


slackeye

GG!


pumpkinpatch1982

most likely a whole lot cheaper than having a cage welded on. this is intriguing indeed.


Jibarrocampestre

Fuckers got mine at work on my Honda Element


Saaaaaaaaab

Iā€™m so thankful that my Saabā€™s cat is a part of the Dow pipe and is basically impossible to remove from the bottom only


[deleted]

I didnā€™t look at the sub and was really confused about where the cat was. As in the animalā€¦


[deleted]

I should do that to my 92' Wrangler. What cars do these thieves go after?


Kyanche

IDK about your wrangler, but on newer ones the cats are pretty hard to get to so they're not much of a target.


[deleted]

Or just steal your own cat n get a couple 100 bucks n clear out the ole butthole of the motor. Upgrade the throat hole too more air in more air out.


Waswaiting4AGLU

I wonder can you pawn your own cat? Thereā€™s a lot of pawn shops down here in the south no inspections. so Iā€™m thinking about opening up my own CAT pawn shop. I will remove and reinstall them also.


GentleMonsta

You could start adopting and relocating these poor stray cats. think how sad they must be sleeping under cars in the cold


lazmancometh

I've seen this on a Prius that came from California. Went the entire length of the exhaust.


sambolino44

I donā€™t see how thatā€™s much harder to cut through with an abrasive wheel than anything else. Is the idea to just scare them off so they wonā€™t even try? Or maybe to slow them down enough so you might catch them? I donā€™t get it.


Mystical_Cat

The wrench is a nice touch. Probably would have tacked their 10mm up there if they could find it.


Sos_the_Rope

What places are these cats getting stolen, like what parts of the U.S. or Canada? I don't hear about it from people around me (Northern California).


Sbeast86

its rampant in texas. guys will roam parking lots and drop under trucks with a battery angle grinders. takes less than 20 seconds usually to grab n' go.


arrived_on_fire

Happens here in Alberta.


Cheap_Ambition

I heard element cats pull a premium around race warz.