Jim...Drug and Oil Business??? Do you consider a drug dealer and a person in a legitimate business in the same league? The Oil Business is what put Texas on the map. Contrary to popular belief the old West movies about the oil tycoons and the way they did business is SLIGHTLY different than it is today. I'm in the Oil Business, we don't get many requests for stolen hotrods. Most guys in the oil business if they are way up the ladder have a few bucks and dont need to steal. We should stay on topic here and not throw out opinionated nonsense that has aboslutely no rhyme or reason.
Given the location and circumstances my guess it is down Mexico way. I have a friend who went to the movies only find his new Escalade gone from the lot on his return. The authority's said it was probably already being stripped or being taken to Mexico. Being a border state to Mexico seems to be more of a problem than in the past.
Here in Florida and really the entire south east this stuff seems to be going on more all the time. I see cars taken from locked garages, inside trailers and in many cases they have them alarmed and in fence yards and they still take them. I had a friend who owned a semi race rig with a Freightliner cab who started removing the starter motor each time they parked the rig anywhere for more then a few days. Just in one car club down here you have three or four guys who lost cars and trailers. Some of the guys at the Shades of the Past show sleep either in the trailer or with their car not in a motel. That's how bad it has gotten down here. Jimbo
sooner or later these theifs are going to hook up on something like these guys and its going to be "retribution time"..
I'd say it is getting to the point where some of the car clubs and associations involved with the various shows should get together and solve this problem. If everyone, (affected car owners and associations, event organizers) got together and hired a team of professional investigators to work on this full time I think the problem could be solved. Identify the people involved, and hunt them down like the vermin they are. Since the law would do very little to them in terms of punishment, possibly they could be dealt with in other ways. Lead poisoning comes to mind.
I and many other hambers are overseas and we also keep our eyes open on stolen car topics here. You will sure know soon if your car is seen in overseas anywhere because we will tell and people evrywhere are putting pics in the www. What comes to export old car US Customs check the VIN and stamp the papers "export approved" before the container leaves the border. Then at least here in Finland the registration is tough task and you'll have to have the title and every transfers to your name. Also the rods are so scarse elsewhere than USA that I believe every car is easily found out to whom it belongs. Happy hunting!
I echo Highlanders comments, and a couple of comments come to mind over these recent thefts, but comments regarding stolen rods on a chat board really need to start becoming hardcore action..., and not the "pistol in hand" action we'd all like to to set out on. I mean with umpteen thousands of ingenious guys/gals,nationwide and worlwide, on this board, you'd think there'd be inventive wheels spinning out of control over designing a product (even if it's just share and not to sell). Or laying down the specifics for implementing an "Amber Alert" type of system to hit every members e-mail account when somebdoy's ride gets swiped, or somebody becomes privy of a stolen rod report. Fortunately, and unfortunately, this media age we've been exposed to, and forced to live in, req's everyone to think like a thief to stay safe and keep their belongings intact.
I hope this come off as goofy as it is. I have used the ultimate "club" to secure my roadster. It is a 1/2" plate with a fork on one end that will lock around the rear end yoke. I carry a blanket and can crawfish under it and get it locked pretty quick. The car can only be drug with the club in place. It would discourage anyone trying to roll or tow it away. This and other things should either alert me or discourage them.
my info wouldn't have help here but my knowledge of camera systems can help at the home or business a camera d.v.r. ( digital video recorder ) the correct model can display the cameras on your phone depending which phone you have and also transmit over the web you can even program to alert phones via text message if a zone in disrupted there is so much info that can be captured with cameras add a gps or/and lojack to a car and your good if they get away with the car having all three then they are the best at what they do
Years ago, two friends had their old Poorshees stolen, the assumption was they were taken to Mexico. One was found a year later in the back of a warehouse/shop a mile from the theft location, the other in a shipping container bound for Australia.
I've been thinking of simple things that can be done to at least make it a hell of a lot harder to steal a vehicle off the street or out of a parking lot or driveway. Maybe it's time for a thread with ideas for devices that can be used simply to help prevent a vehicle from being driven off. That isn't going to do a lot against repo rigs or someone winching it on or in a trailer or truck but it might help when we park some where as in the case of the roadster.
That is a beautiful car which i have seen. I really hope they catch the people who have taken Tommys car. My heart goes out to him over this.
I have seen this car before and it is an amazing ride. Sorry to hear this happened. Ford truck thefts are huge here in San Antonio and have been for a while. SAPD Auto Theft has a good group of officers that are very good at what they do. For some reason, Texas DPS disband their auto theft unit, so local agencies don't have the support and manpower they use to. Anything you can do to prevent the theft of you ride is money well spent (Hidden ignition switches, fuel stops, GPS).
As a car theft (hot rod) victim I feel your pain and sincerely wish for the best. After reading about so many race cars/hot rods/classics being stolen over the years how, I find it interesting that most of them never had anything besides the factory security, if anything on the tow rig. In our family we have had two vehicles stolen, one was my Cutlass in my album and the other was a lowly panel Astro Van. Sadly we found the Astro but never the Cutlass, been 3 1/2 years now. My point being, secure All your rides, especially if you use it to haul around your specialty cars/tools and equipment.
There is a really good thread here with just that info, Im busy at work so doint have time to search for it. Removing the rotor cap/button is what I used to do.
Still won't stop the bastards from pushing them out and onto a trailer. Alarm everything, the garage, house, cars, motion detectors in the driveway... and make em loud so they wake up the dead.
And so... how do these cars make it out of the country? Are they just put in a container and shipped as used Honda SUVs without inspection? Who helps them in the export process? Or are these stolen rods and customs resold or chopped for parts? Just repainted and re-engined and then registered like a new build? (wouldn't it be just that easy?). Or was this fellow's rig taken just for the truck and trailer and the thieves really had no idea what kind of auto or other stuff was inside? Gary
Will be on the look out here in Okla. Really sorry to hear about this. I have always been told that locks are just to keep honest people honest. Thiefs will get it if they want it, no matter what you do!
And i am in the OKC area i will definately be lookin. hope to see it safe and at home where she belongs soon.
is this picture a close one of the truck ????? it is the correct year and color described and its a king ranch
I moved to Norway orm texas a few years back and have brought over some of my own and helped some friends import some stuff. As far as whole cars go US customs goes thorugh the paperwork and checks the VINS etc. This year they even made it so whoever is exporting the container has to have a IRS EIN(employer Identification Number) number, not just a individual. As far as parts go it's pretty simple, I list each pallet at used car parts with a couple specific descriptions of a few of the parts. They won't let you put the description as just 'used car parts'...but it can be used car parts/tools/53 chevy fenders'...and I dont think they ever see what is in teh pallets, which are plastic wrapped. I seriously doubt these old cars are leaving the country whole in containers, unless there is someone on the inside at the shipper/handler. Very possible though...this is of course assuming they are going through a legit shipping company, but not that many boats that can take a container across the ocean...that being said once it leave US soil, the recieving country in my experience, just checks that you have a title that was approved by US customs...they have now idea if it is a $500 rusty firewall with a vin or a $100k build...
I thought you folks carried big guns down in Texas. maybe it is time to start using them. That just plain sucks who would think in a busy parking lot. Hope you guys catch the rat bastards and then use your guns starting at their feet and work your way up very slowly just to hear them squeal like the rat bastards they are.
Bass pro shops doesn't even have security cameras in the parking lot, which is well known to thieves in the area. Only security cameras are at Target which is across from a rather large parking lot. SAPD can kiss an ass as well. We had over 80 thousand ripped off from my work, we found the truck that the thieves stole in front of a contractors house that did work for us and the cops did nothing, no arrests, nothing! They did quit taking our calls about pressing charges though, told us "You got the truck back!" never-mind the truck only attained $3,000 worth of the $80,000 stolen. So don't expect too much help, because they are too busy padding their pensions
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