dam theives target classics
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From: utah
dam theives target classics
Published on: Thursday, July 21, 2005
HEAVY-METAL HEARTBREAK
Thieves target lovingly restored classic cars
By Paul Woolverton
Staff writer
A Ford Taurus, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord or any other modern generic sedan can be replaced.
HEAVY-METAL HEARTBREAK
Thieves target lovingly restored classic cars
By Paul Woolverton
Staff writer
A Ford Taurus, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord or any other modern generic sedan can be replaced.
Staff photo by Steve Aldridge
Morris had a 1966 Chevy II Nova, a rare and classic black beast with gleaming chrome wheels, polished aluminum under the hood and a nitrous oxide bottle - a device that makes the fuel burn faster, dramatically increasing the car's power - in the trunk.
Keith McLaurin of Eastover spent three years and $35,000 converting the car into the hotrod of his high school dreams. He sold it to Morris in February.
On the Fourth of July, someone used a crowbar to force open Morris' garage at his home in the Arran Lakes West neighborhood and then took the car away.
"They picked this particular car out and stole it," said McLaurin, who speaks with as much anger about the theft as Morris. "I feel like my car got stolen, rather than this guy's. I put years and work and sweat in this thing."
Several other owners of restored 1960s and 1970s-era pickups and muscle cars said they think thieves targeted their vehicles.
City and county statistics list about 1,000 motor vehicles of all types stolen each year in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. Spokeswomen for the city police and county sheriff say detectives haven't noticed a trend of classic car thefts.
The car owners think they see one.
Rudy Elizondo's 1970 'Cuda, a hotrod version of Plymouth's Barracuda, was taken from his driveway the Saturday before Easter. He and his wife heard it drive off, but the thief was gone before Elizondo could get outside to stop him.
"That car had been in my family since '70," Elizondo said. His sister was the original owner. He had it for 15 years and enjoyed entering it in car shows.
"All the numbers were matching and everything," Elizondo said.
Matching ID numbers can make a car more valuable than a vehicle in which the parts are after-market or are taken from other cars.
Ads for similar models ask for between $25,000 and $150,000. A rare 1971 Hemi 'Cuda convertible was listed for $2 million in January, the CNN/Money Web site reported.
Elizondo guessed his car was worth about $30,000. It wasn't insured for theft.
Last weekend, Morris said, a friend thought he saw Elizondo's 'Cuda being towed on a trailer near Red Springs. He got the police to stop it, but it was the wrong car.
Recent thefts
Other recent classic car thefts:
<LI>In mid-June, someone hot wired Edward Anderson's restored 1971 Chevy C10 pickup and tried to drive it from his house a couple blocks from Morris' home. The thief stalled the truck in the street and ran away when a neighbor came outside to stop him.
<LI>Early this year, someone stole Bruce Erickson's 1969 Chevy C10. He said he spent four years restoring it. "This was my first time building a car, and it will be the last," he said.
<LI>In March 2004, someone broke into the Tri-M Sounds car audio shop on Bragg Boulevard and crashed Gerald Mack's 1971 Oldsmobile 442 through the garage door. He had finished restoring the car in late 2003. "I probably put about 150 miles on it before it was stolen," Mack said. He is restoring another Olds 442.
<LI>In August, Wade Hardin left his 1964 Chevy Impala SS in his driveway on Fort Bragg Road one rainy night instead of putting it in the garage. The next morning, it was gone. He spent the previous 10 months restoring it. "I'd love to have it back because it was a labor of love," he said.
The owners speculate about what happened to their cars.
Did the thieves have a buyer waiting? Were the cars put on a boat and shipped out of the country? Were they stripped for parts? Did the thieves switch the cars' ID numbers so they could create a clean title and sell them?
"Typically they're just chopped," said Scott Reavely, a spokesman for Hagerty Insurance of Traverse City, Mich., which specializes in insuring collector cars. "They're taken and they're immediately turned out into pieces," he said.
Intact, the cars could be recognized, Reavely said. If a car is parted-out, the engine alone might bring $10,000.
From 1999 through 2003, 460 of its Hagerty's clients' cars were stolen, Reavely said, and 102 were recovered.
Muscle cars have been growing in popularity and value, Reavely said. The cars don't have to be "all original." Many people enjoy owning cars that look original but are actually assembled from parts, he said.
The cars are stolen because of the market for vintage parts, said spokeswoman Debbie Tanna of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.
"They just sell pieces of the car that they know are hot items," Tanna said.
Morris, whose Chevy Nova was stolen, has looked for it daily. He had 400 full-color fliers printed with a picture of the car and an announcement that he will reward someone $2,500 for its recovery - no questions asked.
He and his friends have passed the fliers out at auto shops, racetracks and other places where car enthusiasts like to gather.
People reported seeing Morris' car in various places - Murchison Road in Fayetteville, in a parade in Robeson County and at a crack house in Lumberton - but the leads have yet to yield useful information, Morris said.
The thought of the car getting chopped galls McLaurin. He tried to keep it pristine.
"I didn't even drive it in the rain," he said. "When I got this car I had the money to build it like I wanted it when I was a kid. Trust me: There were no flaws in this car."
He said he wishes he had never sold it.
Classic theft
Among the restored classic cars reported stolen in Cumberland County.
1966 Chevy II Nova
Stolen: July 4 in Arran Lakes West.
History: Keith McLaurin of Eastover bought it in Utah in 2001 and drove it home with his 12-year-old son. He estimates he spent $35,000 turning it into a nitrous-powered hotrod. Sold to Robert Morris in February 2005.
Estimated value when stolen: $34,000.
1966 Chevrolet Impala SS
Stolen: September on Fort Bragg Road.
Wade Hardin bought it in November 2003.
He and a friend restored it to near-original condition.
He offered a $500 reward for its recovery.
Estimated value when stolen: $38,000.
1971 Oldsmobile 442
Stolen: March 2004 on Bragg Boulevard.
History: Gerald Mack bought it in 1974.
He restored it from 1995 to 2003.
Estimated value when stolen: $20,000
Staff writer Paul Woolverton can be reached woolvertonp@fayettevillenc.com or at 910-486-3512.
Copyright 2005 The Fayetteville (NC) Observer
Contact Us
910-323-4848 or 1-800-682-3476 (NC only)
Robert Morris is offering a $2,500 reward to anyone who helps locate his 1966 Chevy II Nova. The car was stolen from his home in Arran Lakes West on July 4.
But not Robert Morris' ride.Morris had a 1966 Chevy II Nova, a rare and classic black beast with gleaming chrome wheels, polished aluminum under the hood and a nitrous oxide bottle - a device that makes the fuel burn faster, dramatically increasing the car's power - in the trunk.
Keith McLaurin of Eastover spent three years and $35,000 converting the car into the hotrod of his high school dreams. He sold it to Morris in February.
On the Fourth of July, someone used a crowbar to force open Morris' garage at his home in the Arran Lakes West neighborhood and then took the car away.
"They picked this particular car out and stole it," said McLaurin, who speaks with as much anger about the theft as Morris. "I feel like my car got stolen, rather than this guy's. I put years and work and sweat in this thing."
Several other owners of restored 1960s and 1970s-era pickups and muscle cars said they think thieves targeted their vehicles.
City and county statistics list about 1,000 motor vehicles of all types stolen each year in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. Spokeswomen for the city police and county sheriff say detectives haven't noticed a trend of classic car thefts.
The car owners think they see one.
Rudy Elizondo's 1970 'Cuda, a hotrod version of Plymouth's Barracuda, was taken from his driveway the Saturday before Easter. He and his wife heard it drive off, but the thief was gone before Elizondo could get outside to stop him.
"That car had been in my family since '70," Elizondo said. His sister was the original owner. He had it for 15 years and enjoyed entering it in car shows.
"All the numbers were matching and everything," Elizondo said.
Matching ID numbers can make a car more valuable than a vehicle in which the parts are after-market or are taken from other cars.
Ads for similar models ask for between $25,000 and $150,000. A rare 1971 Hemi 'Cuda convertible was listed for $2 million in January, the CNN/Money Web site reported.
Elizondo guessed his car was worth about $30,000. It wasn't insured for theft.
Last weekend, Morris said, a friend thought he saw Elizondo's 'Cuda being towed on a trailer near Red Springs. He got the police to stop it, but it was the wrong car.
Recent thefts
Other recent classic car thefts:
<LI>In mid-June, someone hot wired Edward Anderson's restored 1971 Chevy C10 pickup and tried to drive it from his house a couple blocks from Morris' home. The thief stalled the truck in the street and ran away when a neighbor came outside to stop him.
<LI>Early this year, someone stole Bruce Erickson's 1969 Chevy C10. He said he spent four years restoring it. "This was my first time building a car, and it will be the last," he said.
<LI>In March 2004, someone broke into the Tri-M Sounds car audio shop on Bragg Boulevard and crashed Gerald Mack's 1971 Oldsmobile 442 through the garage door. He had finished restoring the car in late 2003. "I probably put about 150 miles on it before it was stolen," Mack said. He is restoring another Olds 442.
Staff photo by Steve Aldridge
Edward Anderson points to where his 1971 Chevy truck was parked when it was almost stolen from his driveway on Lake Trail Drive.
<LI>In August, Wade Hardin left his 1964 Chevy Impala SS in his driveway on Fort Bragg Road one rainy night instead of putting it in the garage. The next morning, it was gone. He spent the previous 10 months restoring it. "I'd love to have it back because it was a labor of love," he said.
The owners speculate about what happened to their cars.
Did the thieves have a buyer waiting? Were the cars put on a boat and shipped out of the country? Were they stripped for parts? Did the thieves switch the cars' ID numbers so they could create a clean title and sell them?
"Typically they're just chopped," said Scott Reavely, a spokesman for Hagerty Insurance of Traverse City, Mich., which specializes in insuring collector cars. "They're taken and they're immediately turned out into pieces," he said.
Intact, the cars could be recognized, Reavely said. If a car is parted-out, the engine alone might bring $10,000.
From 1999 through 2003, 460 of its Hagerty's clients' cars were stolen, Reavely said, and 102 were recovered.
Muscle cars have been growing in popularity and value, Reavely said. The cars don't have to be "all original." Many people enjoy owning cars that look original but are actually assembled from parts, he said.
The cars are stolen because of the market for vintage parts, said spokeswoman Debbie Tanna of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.
"They just sell pieces of the car that they know are hot items," Tanna said.
Morris, whose Chevy Nova was stolen, has looked for it daily. He had 400 full-color fliers printed with a picture of the car and an announcement that he will reward someone $2,500 for its recovery - no questions asked.
He and his friends have passed the fliers out at auto shops, racetracks and other places where car enthusiasts like to gather.
People reported seeing Morris' car in various places - Murchison Road in Fayetteville, in a parade in Robeson County and at a crack house in Lumberton - but the leads have yet to yield useful information, Morris said.
The thought of the car getting chopped galls McLaurin. He tried to keep it pristine.
"I didn't even drive it in the rain," he said. "When I got this car I had the money to build it like I wanted it when I was a kid. Trust me: There were no flaws in this car."
He said he wishes he had never sold it.
Classic theft
Among the restored classic cars reported stolen in Cumberland County.
1966 Chevy II NovaStolen: July 4 in Arran Lakes West.
History: Keith McLaurin of Eastover bought it in Utah in 2001 and drove it home with his 12-year-old son. He estimates he spent $35,000 turning it into a nitrous-powered hotrod. Sold to Robert Morris in February 2005.
Estimated value when stolen: $34,000.
1966 Chevrolet Impala SS
Stolen: September on Fort Bragg Road.
Wade Hardin bought it in November 2003.
He and a friend restored it to near-original condition.
He offered a $500 reward for its recovery.
Estimated value when stolen: $38,000.
1971 Oldsmobile 442Stolen: March 2004 on Bragg Boulevard.
History: Gerald Mack bought it in 1974.
He restored it from 1995 to 2003.
Estimated value when stolen: $20,000
Staff writer Paul Woolverton can be reached woolvertonp@fayettevillenc.com or at 910-486-3512.
Copyright 2005 The Fayetteville (NC) Observer
Contact Us
910-323-4848 or 1-800-682-3476 (NC only)
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
From: utah
those are all from my neighborhood, back home. my mother drove teh GTO into the carage 10 years ago i was supposed to start the restoration but joined the military instead. i could not imagine coming home and it be gone.
i still feel that theives are the lowest form walking this earth
i still feel that theives are the lowest form walking this earth
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 90
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From: utah
like it said they were probably choped and sold off. i grew up working on those cars.
i knew the guy with the nova and the guy with the white pickup. these were just some of the guys who i worked with on old cars.
my neighbor has a 66 chevelle SS withe a .030 bored 396 in the engine bay. along with a 69 camaro ss and a 2 bugs, next to him is a 68 camaro. across the street a 55 and 57 bel air. then you have my mothers GTO the other neighbors mercedes the amount of vintage vehicles on my street alone. when we went to car shows all the doors open and there were a line of cars rolling down the street. an amazing sight and feeling
i knew the guy with the nova and the guy with the white pickup. these were just some of the guys who i worked with on old cars.
my neighbor has a 66 chevelle SS withe a .030 bored 396 in the engine bay. along with a 69 camaro ss and a 2 bugs, next to him is a 68 camaro. across the street a 55 and 57 bel air. then you have my mothers GTO the other neighbors mercedes the amount of vintage vehicles on my street alone. when we went to car shows all the doors open and there were a line of cars rolling down the street. an amazing sight and feeling
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,858
Likes: 3
From: Friendswood, Texas
A guy up the road had a 67 Chevelle SS stolen a few months back. He lives a ways off the main road but left it out by the street with a 4 sale sign on it. For whatever reason, he did not bring it in at night and one morning it was gone.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles, CA
Thieves should burn in hades! What a sad story, I had no idea classics were getting to be more popular in the stolen car market. My daily (94 Integra) is on the top 10 list of cars stolen in the US. The only way to detour would be crooks is to have your car/truck locked up... and layered security. I've done a ton of things to my daily to make it not "theft proof" but theft detourant anything, that makes them take more time helps you out.
I've had my custom license plates and mirrors stolen off my older truck, and my buddy recently had his front and rear bumpers stolen off his 56' F100 . Apparently they tried to take off in the truck but he installed a hidden kill switch and it wouldn't turn over. Its a simple add on but helps.. I'm doing it on mine and already have 2 kills (gas/battery) on my other car. Its a sad day when your classic is robbed by some *********.
I've had my custom license plates and mirrors stolen off my older truck, and my buddy recently had his front and rear bumpers stolen off his 56' F100 . Apparently they tried to take off in the truck but he installed a hidden kill switch and it wouldn't turn over. Its a simple add on but helps.. I'm doing it on mine and already have 2 kills (gas/battery) on my other car. Its a sad day when your classic is robbed by some *********.
Post Fiend
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,231
Likes: 1
From: Near Fresno, California
We just had a long discussion on titles and the ways to work around DMV plus we are all guilty of using ebay and want ads to buy parts for our projects - that is where the stolen stuff winds up!
I don't have any answers - but after reading this I think I will start engraving my social security number on the engine, tranny, rear end, and other high dollar parts when I am done rebuilding them. That, plus a hidden kill switch, and lots of insurance!
I don't have any answers - but after reading this I think I will start engraving my social security number on the engine, tranny, rear end, and other high dollar parts when I am done rebuilding them. That, plus a hidden kill switch, and lots of insurance!
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles, CA
Engraving social security on the parts would definately make them identifiable....although then you gotta deal with identity theft on top of stolen goods!
I had my car broken into, everything stolen, and come to find out they tried to commit identity theft from using my registration info and an old paystub I had in the glovebox. I was lucky though.. the cops caught them, two girls if you can believe it.
I had my car broken into, everything stolen, and come to find out they tried to commit identity theft from using my registration info and an old paystub I had in the glovebox. I was lucky though.. the cops caught them, two girls if you can believe it.
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Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 90
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From: utah
sometimes it is advantageous to live in the country. but belive it or not. the town i live in (pop. 30,000) has a higher crime rate then fayetteville (pop.114,000) i thought fayetnam as it is so lovingly called was horrible.
the theft rate here is all farm trucks though
the theft rate here is all farm trucks though
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
From: Petaluma, California
Instead of your social security number you might want to engrave your drivers license number on high value parts. Also If you have a digital camera take a picture of the engraving on the part so if the number gets scratched off it might still be identifiable by location.
Paul
Paul
Last edited by 55 F-100 PAUL; Aug 4, 2005 at 06:00 PM.
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,730
Likes: 13
From: Waynesville, OH
OK, gotta make sure we don't go too far in this direction. No problem so far, but FTE can't allow folks to advocate serious violence on the forums for obvious reasons. 
I'm pretty unhappy with the information I read on this thread about stealing classic cars. I think most of us are. I don't have any magic answers - I just wish I did.
I'm pretty unhappy with the information I read on this thread about stealing classic cars. I think most of us are. I don't have any magic answers - I just wish I did.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles, CA
I was joking bout the violence although thats all you can think about when you get jacked like that. There really is nothing you can do to prevent your car from getting stolen, the fact is if someone wants it they will manage to get into it. The only thing to do is be careful where you park your ride and layer your security. A friend of mine had a pager system, as soon as he ran out his car was driving away. Lojack does help in recovery but most cars are stripped within a few hours. I guess taking pictures, getting it appraised and loading up on insurance is the only "safe" way to go.