My '71 Classic has been STOLEN from a guarded car storage!

[Manoah2u]

Yeah, there's something about the car that completely mesmerizes me.
It somehow possesses that raw american muscle fever, but also houses a certain amount of italian-esque european styling which especially in the right paint makes it come alive like a beautifull painting somehow.

Well, to me anyway.

Surprisingly btw the 2nd-gen F-body also has quite the handling, not sluggish or bad at all. It must be said that the car has to be in fine condition though, i've sat once in a 2nd-gen f-body which had the bushings and suspension worn and it felt like an absoltue death trap. then again, that goes for about every car out there.

What i like most about this car is that it is an approachable dreamcar /(wall)poster car.
There was a time the value of these cars skyrocketed like insane but it's come down a bit ,don't know what will happen in the future though, and i really dont care much about that, but when i bought it it was still affordable and reasonable for a used old iron 'giant' . 69 Mustangs, Camaro's, Challengers, Chargers are off the charts in reserve money, and this was somehow still a 'underapreciated diamond'. Hence it being still in a league of being able to buy it (well, as long as it's not a #numbers matching 1970 Trans Am RAIII , 1973 Brewster Green, 455 SD, etc etc.)

I personally feel this car belongs in the same 'appreciation area' as the Alfa Romeo Montreal and other classic GT's like a Maserati. These models are even more striking in person as they are in photograph. I just adore the lines, the curves and the overall sexyness the car has.

I also like the interior a lot BUT i must say i somewhat prefer the 71's Camaro' interior over this.

[NOT A TA]

I agree on body styling and love the curved flowing lines. But I think the Firebird custom interior with the comfortweave material is much better than the Camaro (I owned a 71 Z-28). The dash layout in the bird is better by far in my opinion. I really didn't want to change the interior in mine but track use necessitated a cage, race seats, fire system etc.

[strad]

one rolled across the block at Barrett Jackson for $90,000

[strad]

The dash layout in the bird is better by far in my opinion

The machine turned dash was too cool.

[MadMatt]

Any news on your car?

[Manoah2u]

Any news on your car?

Actually, yes. Today -from all days- i got a call that my Firebird is up and ready to be picked up - or, better said, they're awaiting to make an appointment to transport the car to my desired location. I can now come and check it out, so that is good news.

I say 'from all days' because there's a snow blizzard since yesterday and today is even worse. I'm not hitting the road no matter what, so i have to keep patient still. I'm very nervous to see my beloved beauty. there's some excitement about picking her up again but then there's a huge amount of nervosity on in what state i'm going to find her.

I've been told police had to run drug investigations to the vehicles apprehended as there was a tip the cars were actually not meant to be traded at all but that they were a coverup to stash drugs inside them to trade drugs between countries without raising suspicion and getting easy past the customs due to the popularity of classics.
i am not told that it was actually the case here, quite frankly, i got little information to be honest and it's been way too silent for up untill now.

if it does turn out that it was used as a drug stash then there are chances the car is intact but that there could be extensive damage in the dashboard, trunk, etc. spaces from either the smugglers or the police from pulling it apart.


my insurance agent said i need not worry too much about that since the simple fact is, whatever happened to your car, it's fully the responsibility of the car park holder, even if it would be the police who would pull it apart completely, they car park is fully accountable.

[SteveRacer]

Glad you are getting it back and hope this works out for the best.

Not surprised the insurance agent is saying that it is the garages responsibility. I had a tree fall on the house after warning the town that it was going to fall. Tree was on town property. The insurance quickly paid me and went after the town to be reimbursed. Hopefully you get a quick resolution and do not get caught between the insurance company and garage fighting.

[NOT A TA]

Good to read you're finally getting it back. If it's any consolation I've had to wait over a year to get things back from impound in theft cases.

[J.A.W.]

The dash layout in the bird is better by far in my opinion

The machine turned dash was too cool.

I concur, here is one from an Australian (A-body) `72 Charger 770 E55 - optioned with the 340 V8;

[strad]

but then there's a huge amount of nervosity on in what state i'm going to find her

.
Man, I can imagine.
You hear such horror stories about the recovered condition of stolen cars.
.

it's fully the responsibility of the car park

.
Sure hope you don't wind up caught between the two.
Congrats man I'm sure you're on cloud nine.

[BanMeToo]

bump

[PlatinumZealot]

Sorry about the ordeal. I suggest a GPS tracker whem you get it back.

[Manoah2u]

so i've went and seen my car today

original paint is gone, except for the door wells and trunk, it has been given a really quick half-assed job of white paint, and the roof has been ripped open probably by the 'law enforcement' to check upon possible hidden storages. steering lock has been demolished, there's a corner missing of the (original fiberglass) hood, the front T-structure has been bent (probably due to loading) and there are scratches everywhere. some small parts are missing (trim) and there are some cracks in the glass. door handles aren't operable anymore, neither are the windows - surely due to the break-in becuase there were no keys. door lock on the LHS has been destroyed with what looks like a friggin screwdriver.

quick damage estimates are into several thousands (due to paint alone), let alone market value loss due to it's loss of, again, it's original paint and missing several parts. this turns the car immediately into a hump of metal which only holds it's 'leftover' value due to the VIN number and engine.

i could cry when i saw it and especially smash the tools that are working at the facility that only see it as a heap of junk taking up their space which they think of better off in the junkyard. I showed them a picture of how it was before it got stolen and they refused to believe it was the same vehicle.

the good thing is the engine is still there, and it's i'ts actual engine. i have no idea if it runs or not, i will have to take my time to see if the pullies and crank move by hand, and if so, i'll need to flush the petrol, oils, and clean the intake and carburettor and cam covers to see if there is no damage or any material in there that doesn't belong there, especially with the risk of 'vandalism' when the guys were notified the police would come in and reposess the vehicle.

so now it's going to be a case of moving it to a garage and having an expert make a total damage report and file an insurance claim.

i'm lost at words.
on one side i'm happy to have my 'baby' back, but it's thoroughly ruined.
i have no idea what was in their minds to tackle the car like this. pictures have been made for insurance purposes, but i won't be showing them yet, if at all.

we're looking at a replacement of

- complete paint respray
- scratch repair
- dent repair
- window glass replacement
- door handle system repair
- window system repair
- roof upholstery replacement
- torn seat cover (driver) replacement [very rare seats]
- steering lock replacement
- door locks replacement
- replacement or preferably repair of a missing chunk of the fiberglass hood
- missing trim pieces
- full engine and transmission oil replacement
- filter replacement
- front t-bar repair (straightening)
- engine tuning

costly. very very costly.
this is really painful.
it's only material, but still, this hurts like hell. it's essentially gone. like a tractor has driven over your highschool sweetheart 's face and body with spikes, and the tractor driver has also raped her and broke her arms and legs, and then the police took a piss on her, leaving her scarred with a post-trauma that has no equal.
well, atleast this isn't a living thing with a soul and conciousness.

i think in retrospect i'd rather have had them steal the car never to be seen again and i would have had a decent insurance claim to be filed. i'd still have a monumental financial loss but i think it would be less than it is now.
i can't unfortunately refuse taking 'back' the vehicle as it has never been changed of actual registred ownership.
i am actually responsible for the vehicle, as it is my posession, i only have a case of pressing charges on the storage facility/ownership for compensation of damages due to their incompetence.
Meanwhile, the car would now actually not be legal to drive on the street due to missing parts and damage, so i'm not even allowed to put it on the public (road).

that means that the moment i'm driving it now in it's current state, even if the engine would still be top-notch, which i assume is unharmed, but i'm not taking any chances - i would be breaking the law and i would be fined for driving a non-road legal vehicle which would then actually also make it uninsured . it's going to need a new MOT to get a signature removed in the vehicle database system (which police and insurance companies can adress) that it 'awaits inspection'.

i'm gonna get it transported to a - i hope - much more trustworthy storage facility where i'm going to lock it in a container and await how all the legal affairs will be handled and finished and then decide whether i'm actually going to go through the effort of fixing it or taking the (severe) loss and say goodbye to it. In any case, it's clear as day, that i'm going to experience a good financial loss no matter the outcome and there's nothing i can do about it.

[strad]

It really does boil down to money. There are quite a few Original Parts places that can supply most of what you have listed. Sadly OPG carries everything GM EXCEPT Firebird
However there are a few that do
Eckler's
NationalPartsDepot.com
Those two might provide a good starting point.
Anyway you look at it it's going to take quite some time and money.
Wonder if there is a way to make the insurance pay for a restoration?
Of course not some frame off type of deal but a professional rebuild.
I know we have been at odds from time to time but I really do feel extremely bad for you.
It strikes very close to home for me as I have said and I hope you can get your baby back together.
Maybe contact Garage Squad to get it done on their show.
Even if they did not get it back to perfect they could put it close enough that you could act all happy, then finish it off to your higher (no doubt) standards after they got done and left.

[Manoah2u]

hey man, i'm not at odds with nobody. part of discussing passionate things is that people can - and will - get passionate about things.

thanks for the heads up about those links. I'm also aware of Max Performance (Performance Years), Ames, YearOne and Classic Industries. There's plenty of sources for material, but what bothers me is that most of it is repro. I really like that that exists, but it somewhat ruins replacing parts of a originally unmolested vehicle.
I might try my chances with trustworthy salvage yards.

i'm not in the right time window right now to full on focus on it, so it'll have to be stored and then aquire the parts and materials.

Haven't heared of garage squad, and i'm not that fond of all the fake car resto shows that's mostly just there for the views. hell i've seen about some pimp-my-ride type of events where they just ask for some car, then put it on a show and do a fix overhaul with a actually really bad paint that only looks good for a week, and all the good stuff like a big*ss LSx, Ls7, awesome hemi's, even butler engines in GTO's, only to when the camera have done their work, strip it all out again and leave the owner with a freshly -orange peeling- paint and at best fresh upholstery. even the wheels get replaced and then turned back. so not too interested in some show who's only gonna do wild things with it for the view. also, i'm not residing in the states btw.
then again, i don't know garage squad tbh.

nevertheless, much much appreciated for the very kind words.