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

[Tod Lane]

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.

[Chris Barnes]

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

[davidhuff]

I sure hate that for you guys.

[johnny shot]

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

[Alan Roehrich]

That's a damned shame.

[Marine One]

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.

[Tod Lane]

Originally Posted by johnny shot

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

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...

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Tod Lane

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...

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

[Tod Lane]

Originally Posted by b.d.d.

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.

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

[Joe Pinkston]

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.

RIP Mark Graham