Stolen pickup alert – 1954 Chevrolet 3100

Help this woman recover her truck.

 

I hate these thieves. I sure hope they find the truck and it's still in good condition.

 

and string up those miserable, low down, stinking, rotten, two faced BAS****!

 

Sadly this happens quite frequently to Airstreams as well. One family in Seattle had just completed their trailer, had it decorated for Christmas in the yard, got up the next morning and it was gone. Not a trace. Never found. Fortunately in their case they had ample insurance to get another, but not enough to cover the hundreds of hours they had put in to the trailer in work.

I read in a car mag several years ago about a couple who went to Pomona's Swap Meet with their IIRC '69 Camaro she'd purchased new. It was locked and alarmed. When they came back to the car it was gone never to be seen again. Apparently it was a beautiful original car.

A fellow I worked with in Calgary had a ring dang do Porsche he'd saved for for years and he got up one morning and the alarm in the attached garage was still on but the Porsche gone. Police said this is common, they would have disable the alarm, pushed the car out and right in to a van of some type, reset the alarm, and driven off.

People steal things and no matter what we do they will find a way to get it if they want it bad enough. It is important that no matter what state your wagon or whatever is in that you have it properly insured. It is a killer to lose your toy and even worse if you also lose your dollar investment. Keep every receipt in a file folder, always take pictures after you've done something to improve it, and for those who can afford it there are GPS units that you can attach (I think thats what they are called) that send a signal when contacted that tells the owner where they are. High end thieves thwart this with equipment, find the sending unit, or hide it in a place where transmission does not work, but there are not many high end thieves stealing hot rods and station wagons and Airstreams as examples.

 

X's 100!!!!

 

I'm confused by this, too, Stef. I can't understand why they would steal a rare and easily spotted vehicle???

 

Some clever thieves out there...

In the case of the '54 Chevy P/U, I suspect someone will have rusted out hulk with a good title, and switch that VIN to the stolen truck. Makes it important to ask for in-progress pics when you purchase an already-restored vehicle.

 

I had a '32 Ford Tudor body and frame and rough fenders. A field car. No registration. Sold it to a fellow who "works the system" somehow and comes up with registrations for people, and the ones he buys like mine he then sells for more money.

It appears to not be that big of an issue and like KK says, all you need is a good registration, a paint and interior change and some of the obvious stuff, and voila - you have a "done" truck for a lot less money.

It really bugs me that this happens. I feel very badly for these folks. Something like this can turn people off the hot rod thing altogether, I hope that doesn't happen with them.

 

A classic like that, or any car/truck, I feel for the owner. Having had my Fox Marquies stolen, damaged, I totaly can relate. I got the wagon back but just never had that "feeling'' again for it. Hard to describe..... was like evey one that looked at me while I was driving it I thought.....it was you......

 

When i worked at Ford of Pompano beach we had a 4x4 diesel Ford Excursion XLT stolen. we used to park vehicles on the roof...(there was a ramp in the back and we were tight on space) one night somone came and cut the lock on the fence and took just that one Excursion. didnt touch the Eddie Bauer edition one next to it. They took the XLT. 2 weeks later in a raid on port everglades they found it along with 100 other cars in shipping containers bound for the Lesser Antilles.

point is, people steal this stuff when there is a customer for it. in the case of that chevy, parts for the AD pickup are readily available so the truck is probably worth more whole. chances are someone ordered just that truck from a theft ring.

 

Makes some of us realize how lucky we've been. Never had a fire. Never been robbed. We've left RV's out in the boonies for most of a day or evening, left our antique cars and street rods at shows with the windows opened, sometimes the keys in the ignition, and other things at camp sites, picnic tables, etc. Never every had a problem.
Used to leave the keys in the cars at home and the house unlocked. Most of our family always did. Now we live in the Boonies, someplace, lock and bolt everything.
Never really thought about muggings, rape, or robbery. But now every shadow and stranger looks like a potential bad guy! Sadly often is!
As money gets tighter and things get more expensive, as laws let criminals go free with little more than a slap on the hand, it will get worse.
As I commented on the Yahoo site about looting during Izaac, shoot first, ask questions later. Maybe next hurricane there will be less looters and more homeowners who feel safe leaving.

 

Several of you have mentioned the importance of having good classic vehicle insurance. Every classic insurance policy I have seen specifies that your classic vehicle must be stored in a locked garage. Insurance might not cover her truck. "Jan was out of town July 10 when a friend noticed her black 1954 Chevrolet 3100 five-window pickup missing from her driveway on NW 38th Street."

If you have a valuable classic vehicle, keep it locked up and out of sight. My classic cars are in a locked garage and the garage is not visible from the road. I would never go on a trip and leave one of my cars outside.

 

A guy in my area recently took his AD pickup--which he'd had for a number of years and put a lot of money into--to a shop. While there, some low-life scum stole it and rolled it. I have no use for such people, and as far as I'm concerned, they have no rights. I hope the truck is found intact.

 

You're losing me, Flat Knuckle. What's an 'AD pickup'?

Marshall