Gas Tank Protection from gas thieves

I need a best bang for buck protection for gas tank from drill bits. Any options for direct bolt on without removing the factory shield?

Not many options popped up searching through the interweb. Normal 1/8" mild steel skid plates are too thin. Need something like hardened chrome plates maybe?

I live in S. Florida although my neighborhood is fairly upscale but crime groups from Miami constantly come up northern cities and do damage every so often. My last 21' Taco had cats sawed off, so I immediately installed a shield for 4Runner, now the gas tank....

 

The best way to protect EVERYTHING on your 4Runner is by doing this: Park your vehicle in a garage every chance you get. Make sure that garage door is closed and they truck is locked and the alarm is set.

If a thief wants something off your 4Runner, they're going to find a way to get it. I've heard of people being worried about gas thieves, so they got a locking gas cap. But drilling INTO the tank? C'mon man. You're a little paranoid.

 

Most aftermarket skids are 3/16 steel or 1/4" aluminum. Budbuilt makes a stainless steel fuel tank skid for $675, but I'm not sure how much better that will be. Anything beyond that is likely to be a custom job. These also require removing the OEM skid.

https://budbuilt.com/Fuel-Tank-Skid-Plate-2010-UP-4Runner_p_544.html

 

Unfortunately, I don't have a garage otherwise this headache would never come up. Don't know if you read my complete post but my last Taco already had the catalytic converter sawed off so the first thing I did is install a cat shield under the 4R. Maybe your not familiar with S. Florida but drilling gas tanks is almost as bad as California.

 

Thanks a bunch. 3/16 stainless steel is just what I need.

 

You could also get hit by lightning while driving your 4Runner. Better make sure you protect yourself from that and all the other things that may happen to you, but probably never will.

 

Maybe you can pull down the skid and line the space between it and the tank it with something. Not sure about how it'll affect drainage.

 

Stainless is generally a pain in the ass to drill through…at least it’s harder to get through it than regular mild steel.

 

Thatbassguy's solution is the best I've seen. That's what I'm going to go with. $700 is wayy cheaper than $3000 gas tank.

Last time my catalytic converter was stolen it was $3200 to replace the whole thing because the perp cut off the connecting flanges as well, everything below the exhaust manifold to the muffler replaced. Insurance covered everything except $1000 deductible. I'll still be $300 ahead if someone decides to drill my tank.

It is just a deterrent, hoping these a-holes will go to the next truck when they see there is too much work for them.

 

It was a "thing" here in Wis. for quite a while, drilling gas tanks seemed to slow up some.

 

The pictures on their website are not super clear, but it looks like they don't cover the sides of the tank as well as the stock ones, so the plastic of the tank itself might be in plain sight on some corners. Something to think about.

Also, does it really cost $3000 to replace the tank? I can’t imagine installing it is that much more difficult than a new skid plate.

 

Just searched Toyota website $757 for the fuel tank + labor and whatever up charge insurance company includes, probably $2k I guess. With my insurance deductible at 1k, however I calculate it is still cheaper that I just buy the shield.

I will have to modify the mount w/o removing existing shield and bolt it right under it. I'll never off-road with it, so not worried if it hangs low.

 

Oh, you’re thinking of modifying it to fit over the stock skid? That’s gonna take some real design and fab work! Stainless is a bit of a pain in the ass to fabricate with unless you’re specifically set up to work with it.

If you would be doing this work yourself, it would be much cheaper to not call insurance if your tank gets drilled, remove the emptied fuel tank (which wont weigh much), and throw on a brand new one. Whatever you need to research to make sure the fuel system get’s primed, will be less mental work than designing new mounts. Do you weld stainless? You’d have to be pretty sure whatever you design will hold up over time and not end up dropping a 70-80lb skidplate onto the freeway.

If you’re planning to have this work done by someone else. It would still be cheaper and better to have the tank replaced.

 

A 4runner holds 23 gallons. Is this a big enough issue in Floriduh where you have people consistently drilling tanks for the possibility of a few gallons?