2003 Ford Ranger, Moving to LA- Antitheft and cat protection advice?
Hello, I have a 2003 3.0L V6 Ford Ranger and I’m preparing to move to LA. I’m trying to get ahead of theft prevention before I get there. My current plan is to install a kill switch and use either a steering wheel lock or a steering wheel/brake lock as a visible deterrent.
What I’m less sure about is catalytic converter protection. From what I can tell, this truck has multiple cats (three?). Have any Ranger owners installed cat guards for all of them, found a fitted shield, or had a plate/skid plate fabricated and welded on for protection? Are the cats on these trucks even commonly targeted in LA, especially given the age?
One additional concern: when I had the truck in San Francisco, someone drilled into the gas tank and tried to steal fuel (but left the cats). I’d love to prevent that from happening again too, though I’m not sure skid plates would actually help with that situation.
Any advice — especially from other Ranger owners in LA — would be greatly appreciated. She’s a low-mileage truck (65k miles) that I’ve had for years and moved all over the country with, and I’d really like to keep her safe and in one piece in LA. Home parking is most likely going to be an onsite covered, but not gated, apartment parking space in North Redondo.
