Valhalla’s Shield theft deterrent/skid plates info and ordering post

You might be the first person I have shipped plates to in Nebraska

 

Hell no it doesn’t, neither does engraving your VIN on them.

 

I think it is more so for the buyers, as a bright/neon color piece is gonna stand out against the normal black/metal/rust color. Also, this does send a sign that the original owner knows what they are doing by using the color, meaning this is more than likely stolen.
Of course, if the law is not there to support it, it is meaningless.

 

I unfortunately know about the shady side of the business, they crack the cats open and take the insides out and the shell it thrown into a scrap pile. The people these thieves are selling to know what that are getting. The law is circumvented and by the time it gets some where they are watching, it is clean

 

Like-wise, some would not even sell here, but throw them all in a container and ship it overseas. More money that way.
We have banned so many shippers due to mis-declare customs, and they are not afraid to do it, money is too good to pass up.

 

I know there are other Tundras here...all dozens of us

 

Make it “illegal” here, they go to the next place. The thieves don’t actually sell to the scrap yards, they sell to middle men who make them look squeaky clean

 

Me too! I'm so excited!

 

The only instance I've heard of where the engraving helped was an article in the local paper about a month ago. Police tried to pull a car over for some traffic issue, the car fled and crashed. They found power tools and a bunch of stolen cats in the car, and arrested the 3 people in the car. One of the stolen cats had the license plate engraved on it and the police returned it to the owner that morning before he knew it was gone. Doesn't get much luckier than that ... other than not having your cat stolen in the first place.

 

I agree with that, if they catch them, you can likely get them back, but you gotta hope they didn’t cut through a part that makes it hard to repair. It is an ugly gamble.

 

Yep, it's not a deterrent. It's only worth it if it's easy to do yourself while you're installing the plates, or while you're waiting for your plates to arrive you can take advantage of some local shops and police depts that are hosting days where they do it for free. Even then, I'm not sure if it's worth the time. Your plates are the most effective deterrent I found and why I ordered them.

You're right about the damage. When all was said and done on mine, they had damaged multiple O2 sensors, the muffler, and another sensor, in addition to stealing the cats. Fortunately insurance covered it minus the hefty deductible. We were without our Sequoia for 45 days, and the repair bill hit $10K.

 

And this is why I ordered Tyler's plates and I'm waiting patiently for mine.

 

The BAM will work with the rear plate. The muffler portion of the BAM is well aft of the plate.

 

Good evening, I've ordered the front and rear plates and would like to go with a torx type security head rather than the pentagon heads. I saw the following on the front page:

5/8x4 (2)
3/8x4 (2)
1/2x1.75 (2)
3/4x1.75 (2)

Does anyone know the thread size to go with these sizes of the bolts? I'd like to pickup all the bolts in advance of the arrival of the plates.

Thanks,
Randy

 

This has changed, also, the plates come with bolts

1/2x4 (2) 13
3/8x4 (2) 16
1/2x1.5 (4) 13

 

I just placed a new order for steel and aluminum to be made! I made some tweaks like the front cat plate slot will be smaller so it won’t have so much movement left and right that could potentially cause vibration on the frame.

 

Wow! I guess I lucked out. My cats were cut out in a well-lit hotel parking lot in Denton, TX overnight on Tuesday 1/18. The Lewisville dealer had most of the necessary parts on-hand and got the remaining parts including replacement O2 sensors quickly. I was back in my truck on Friday 1/21 ($5400 incl deductible) and ordered the steel front and rear Valhalla Shield plates shortly after. Waiting patiently for them to arrive as they appear to be the cat's meow for protection/deterrence.

 

The nut plate is a huge time saver. I’m not sure how I’d even get my fat hands in there without it. Awesome products.

 

Due to daily new news reports of cats being stolen locally for the past few days, I just submitted my order.

 

Ugh, I just ordered 3/8-16 x 4" and 3/8-16x2"

 

Just ordered mine. Passenger side cats were stolen yesterday from the Park and Ride lot. No OE cats available nationwide with no expected delivery date.

 

Theft really sucks. You won't be disappointed with Valhalla's products.

 

I don’t expect so. Not happy with aftermarket cats, but really no choice.

 

I have the vahella plates. Love them but I am a true viking. I ground all the edges to a knife point. Who ever takes them off better have cut proof gloves or they will get sliced.

 

What bolt head protectors did you use? Did you use different mounting bolts than those supplied?

I work in areas where cat theft is rampant. They hit our company vehicles regularly and don't seem to mind doing some disassembly to access the cats, even in broad view of cameras. I am expecting a '22 Tundra and want to order the plate now. I am thinking of going with the penta security bolts with head protectors but am worried that the heads may not fit in the protectors (9/16" and 15/16" heads??).

Any info will be helpful. Thanks in advance!

[EDIT]

NM... Found a review of the bolt protectors on Barnes4WD that shows just this setup. Thanks to "Bryan from Denver on 1/2/2022"!

 

@Classy63 just checking on the status of my order: R061783414. I may have to start leaving my truck at the park and ride soon so hope to have the plates in. Thank you

 

Hello, I’m old and I don’t want to read the entire thread.
Do your plates attach to the RCI skids?
“I know this has been asked”
Would you mind posting up that info and other fitment info on your first post?
I think it would help the OP overall with sales and such. Thank you.

 

Many have used the Valhalla plate with the RCI engine skid plate. If you have the RCI transmission skid plate, it is removed and replaced by the front cat plate. It is possible to install the front cat plate with the RCI engine skid plate, but reports are that it is very tight to get a wrench on the top-side nuts. To make this easier, Tyler offers a nut plate that replaces the RCI top nuts to make installation much easier. It is optional. Here is the link to the nut plate (works for TRD Pro skid and RCI skid). Hope this helps.
https://valhallasshields.com/shop/ols/products/trd-pro-skid-plate-nut-plate

 

This is shipping Monday!