Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Some of you may recall my partner Robert Swartz and I were in the process of building a crate motor stocker. We had modest expectations, just something that would run just the index so we could do some local combos, and maybe go to an IHRA National someday. We know we would be first round fodder, but we both wanted to do it before we got too old.
Bob had gathered up some nice pieces for a motor we planned on putting in an an old Trans Am I have. The center piece was a nice pair of 906 heads Bob had sold some things from a different hobby to buy, neither of us make a lot of money.

Sometime between Monday and yesterday morning someone broke into the shop and stole those heads, just those heads. They moved a set of Ross pistons and some good rods, an intake we got with the heads, a good crate motor cam and a good set of lifters out of the way to steal just those heads.
The puzzler is that if they knew what those heads were, why did they leave 2/3 of the motor setting on the floor?
And if they DIDN'T know what those heads were, why would you steal a set of iron Chevy heads and leave three aluminum intakes a couple Holley carbs, a new electric fuel pump, a new wire feed welder setting out in the open?
The heads were in boxes under a bench under a desk behind a lot more saleable items

Don't know about any insurance yet, probably won't be able to reach the agent until Tuesday... Not even sure how much to ask for, we bough them here for 1200.00, but what would it take to replace a set of proven Crate motor heads?

The upshot of the whole ordeal is what it has done to Bob, he has given up. He feels like this set back, the second theft that has happened in the last few years is the final straw. the first was several thousand dollars cash he had scrapped up to start the project that was taken from his house

So now he has some good pieces for a crate motor we can't build unless we find a way to replace those heads at a cost he can afford.

I told him maybe we could do a "pocket rocket", but the Firebird is a 79, apparently the 305 is different from the 78 version, so we would have to change the car over... Plus we would have to turn all the crate motor parts to buy 305 stuff..

Maybe it will look better next week, but it looks like our attempt this late in life at getting back to class racing went out the door of our shop in the hands of a low life scum bag B@stard of a thief.

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

That is one sad story but please don't give up. Being a Mopar/NHRA guy I have zero resources to offer you but I know that a lot of folks have helped me out along the way and I have faith that someone can help you out.

Think of it this way:it will make class racing that much better when you finally put the car on the track.

Good luck!

Chris Barnes
Wagons of Steel
Stock 6621

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

I sure hate that for you guys.

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

No Homeowners or Shopkeepers Insurance? What are stock heads worth that they would be worth stealing?

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

That's a damned shame.

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Did they try to make it look like no one had been there, or did they pretty much ransack the place. If nothing was damaged, I would say they were there for one reason and one reason only - those heads.

Probably someone local. Had this been someone with the ability to move allot of hot iron in a hurry, everything would be gone. Whoever took your heads wanted them for themselves, not to resell, etc. Just my $0.02 after reading your post.

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

They were a set of ready to go Parsons and Meyers (spelling) 330 HP crate motor vortecs, Bob was too upset to check his homeowners yet.
I hope he has replacement value...

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Yous guy need bigger "Junk Yard type" dogs and larger guns. Sorry to hear about this.

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

It was funny, they left the parts for the rest of the engine setting on the floor in front of the bench, but there was a cork bulletin board that had been setting in front of them that they put back...

And they moved a set of Shubeck lifters and Ross pistons for that motor, plus the matching intake for those heads and left them there...

If they were "scrapper" there were several heavy items that would have been easier to grab...

If they knew what the heads were, why leave the other nice pieces to go with them? If you just wanted the heads why leave the other stuff you could sell?

If they were just stealing stuff why not take all the other stuff, or the three big loaded tool boxes or the new welder?

It makes no sense to me. The garage is in a rural area south of Indy,...

I am just sick about what it has done to Bob, its a killer for him

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Very sad indeed.

I hope things work out for you guys in some way. Either a insurance company pays a claim and you can get replacements, or the heads are recovered and justice is delivered.




Hey Dan Moore, you're #1. :D

RIP Mark Graham

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Tod, make sure the guys at Automotion know about this. Stuff shows up there for sale cheap from time to time. Craigslist also. Got some of my friends stuff back because the IDIOT listed it for sale! Tom

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Again, if they were looking to pi$$ you off, or get even for something, they would have wanted you to know they were there by creating a mess. If they were seasoned criminals and this was a random hit, they would have walked off with everything.

From the outside looking in, whoever did this either knows what the heads are, or thinks they know what the heads are. I'd also bet a $1 that they have been in your shop or know someone who has. Probably one of those friends of a friend deals. No matter how selective you are about the people you let in and out of your shop, you can always bet that one of them knows a dirt bag buddy that they tell too much to in casual conversation. It's never the friends that get you, it's the dirt bags who are friends with your friends.:(

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Agreed. Something about this smells real bad. Someone knew what they were and where they were.

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Sounds like whoever took them knew right where they were. Who had seen the heads since you bought them and/ or knew they were there? Your partner had said he didn't let many people in the shop. Should be a short list of suspects. And watch craigslist.

Don't give up and let the thieves win!

And as bad as it sounds, they could've cleaned house and you would really be screwed. Right now if you're one set of heads away from finishing the project, just a setback.

I hate thieves...

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

I know we can probably replace the heads eventually. The real damage is the time. It took Bob three years to recover fom when he was ripped off before. He says he's given up. I will keep after him

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Sorry for your loss. It can be devastating.
Someone obviously knew the whereabouts and value of these heads. Between the two of you sit down and make a list of who has been in yours and his garages and who their friends may be.

I once knew a person who owned an original mid fifties corvette 2x4 car as well as a 55 Cameo that he was building. Many people used to come and "visit" while he was working in the garage. One day he came home, most of the Cameo stuff was gone and they had trashed the corvette engine compartment. Not long after he took his own life because of that and a few other reasons.

Good luck getting the heads back!

Allan

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

I'm the one that got hit. Yes, agree, something here smells! That's what I told the police when we filed the report. It doesn't add up, why someone took those heads and left everthing else. Why there was a mess left, yet, they took the time to put a cork board "back" over the space where the heads were?

As far as who may have done this. I don't/haven't had a lot of people out to my shop. There were friends, other drag racers, stock car racers, derby guys, a lot of different people that knew I have stuff. In addition, I did have pictures of this stuff, as well as pictures taken of things in the garage. If someone were "smart or cleaver" enough they could have easily understood the garage layout from this. Maybe a word to the wise to everyone that publishes pictures of our projects, something to ponder. I have "now" removed all mine from the 2-3 websites these were on.

After stewing over this a couple days. I'm going to get in touch with the insurance company, see what they are willing to do. Need call Parson&Myers first, get a handle on what it would cost me to replace these. I will get in touch with Automotion up in Indianapolis tomorrow. Make them aware that they may see a hot set of good heads surface.

To say I'm pretty discouraged and disgusted by all this, is putting it mildly! My trust factor for people, which has never been real high anyway, has taken a real big hit.

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

This subject really hits home for me. We were burglarized twice before we got out of the crummy town we used to live in, once at home and once at the shop. The house was a random deal. We pretty much had a friendly, open door policy at the shop. We were hit by a guy who had tagged along with another fellow there picking up parts. I remember the clown looking the place over. After that, the place was alarmed and closed up tight. If you weren't on my Christmas card list, you didn't get past the reception area, period, and it's a short list. I also look at strangers a little differently now. You are wise to not trust knuckleheads wandering in to look at your stuff.

Guaranteed, you know the person who did this. I know it is a terrible feeling to have your prized possessions violated like this, but don't give up. Time will take some of the sting out of it. In the meantime, tighten up security, don't allow your building to be so public and just be grateful that they didn't completely clean you out, if you can.

Finish the car and go racing. Overcoming setbacks makes it more gratifying when you get there.

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Don't rule out any age group, that cork board moved back sounds like what a kid(s) would do to hide what he did..............
MB

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Yeah, tend to agree with this Mike. No one escapes suspicion here. Even family members. It was a "smash and grab". Whomever did it was in a hurry, they were thinking, just not very well. They could have put the strewn items back under the bench, who knows how long before I would have discovered it?

If someone wants to break in again, you won't stop them, all I can do is make it more difficult.

It's not irrecoverable, it just makes things more of a headache. IF the car gets built, pretty sure it will be in a different direction now. Looks like the 305 Chevy with a 2 barrel may end up being the ticket.

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Don't give up on the CM deal. Those are vortec heads and are very reasonable. With a good valve job, stainless valves, and some decent springs you would be good to go. Everything else is there, right?

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Homeowner's would not pay for my engine parts nor car parts that got rusted when a thunderstorm blew my roof off the garage.....they would only pay for tools.

JimR

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

Yes Greg, the heads are all they took? Honestly, the way the rest of this year has gone, I really haven't worked much on the car since Tod and I spoke with you at Ohio Valley last fall. Another engine combination we've considered is the 78 305 Chevy 2 barrel. I'd need to change the nose, fenders and hood, make the car a 78 Formula. That would make it a legal NHRA car. Wouldn't be as fast as the crate motor, give me a lot more options to race.

Going by Jim's post, until I speak with the insurance company, I really won't know how big a loss this is?

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

I hate hearing about this happening. A constant fear that I have.

A bummer and a set back but not a wipe-out. Let this be an alert to tighten security at your shop and know that it could be alot worse.

Re: Need to vent... thieves have maybe ended a dream
 

What ever you do don't give up. If you do they win. One thing about things like this is the truth always comes out sooner or later. Somebody knows something and people talk.

Don't give up!!