Sad Hershey Return Story

[Rick Lay]

An AACA member was returning from Hershey and stopped to spend the night (Thursday, October 17) in a motel just North of Knoxville, TN. During the night, his suburban and enclosed trailer containing his show car and many parts were stolen. Of course, the police were called, but they gave him little hope of finding the equipment.

The East Tennessee Region has just been informed of this tragic event. The suburban was a 1996 Chevrolet 3/4 ton (2500 series) model - dark Blue & Silver.

The 22 foot Wells Cargo enclosed car trailer is White with aluminum stone guard and nose cone with spare tire mounted on the front tongue - late model LED taillights - one piece rear door locking bar (as opposed to the split bar).

Probably the worst part - the trailer contained a fully restored AACA Senior 1953 Nash Rambler Convertible - solid Red - this vehicle is pictured on page 45 in the July-August issue of "Antique Automobile" magazine. Parts lost were for a 1934 Chrysler Airflow purchased in Hershey.

If anyone should run across any of this, E-Mail the East Tennessee Region from our website and we will get the Knox County Sheriff's office in contact.

[Dave@Moon]

Hemmings used to run free ads looking for stolen cars in a special section. It may not exactly be Interpol, but be sure to tell the owner to look into this possibility for additional publicity of his/her plight.

[R W Burgess]

Mr Lay, Here's a tip from streetrodders. Almost all rodders have a battery cutoff switch hidden somewhere on their car, under the seat, behind a fender, etc. A friend of mine told me last week of a attempt at stealing a rod after a large midwest show. The perpetrator got in the car easily enough, and then snatched the wires to do a hot wire, but got very confused when he couldn't find any fire in the harness, so he gave up for easier pickings elsewhere. They don't have a lot of time to troubleshoot an electrical problem. Wayne

[Guest]

Excuse me for not being registered, but I am a security nut and just don't do registrations for all the world to see.

I am as guilty of this first stupidity as anyone. #1. It might be better if we did not advertise what might be in our trailers by placing large AACA decals on our trailers. #2. Any lettering or pictures that indicate antique cars are inside isn't too smart either. I just bought a new trailer and decided to forget the decal. Plain white box is good. The fancier the trailer, the more tempting it is.

Maybe a sign on the side saying "Joe's Sewer Service" would be less appealing to thieves.

For years I have used a steering wheel"club" in the tow vehicle when traveling, but I suppose a smart thief could possibly get around that. There is one sure fire method of preventing auto theft. It is a lot of trouble but taking the left front wheel of the tow vehicle into your motel room or locking it in the trailer will discourage most auto thieves. Also use a lowered jack stand and remove the jack. Personally I prefer the S&W 357 security system but you don't get much sleep that way.

Vic Anonymous

[ex98thdrill]

Sorry to hear about their loss. That hurts. The good thing about it is if the vehicle had not been trailered, it would've been easier to steal the car than it would be for the suburban and probably would've been gone sooner. Obviously someone wanted it bad enough, that they got it anyways, but at least they had to work for it. Locks only keep the honest and lazy crooks away.

[Guest]

I wonder if you can buy those "Wheel Boots" that the police put on illegally parked cars?

[ex98thdrill]

I think you can buy them through police supply stores like Gall's. Either way, if they broke into the suburban and stole it, those wheel locks won't do much either. By the sounds of things, the individual who stole that suburban knew what he was doing. He was far from being an amature thief.

[Amphicar BUYER]

Those wheel clubs are a big joke and 100% useless. All you need is 10 seconds and a hack saw. You cut the sterering wheel and it's off! So simple, if you use one of those, I question your security expertice. <span style="font-style: italic">No flame intended</span> , just stating some points that some may not realize. The best thing is to make it a pain to mess with.

I use a log chain through the wheels. Hide the lock and chain as best you can so it is not easilly seen. If it is visable, they could easilly cut it. If it is not discovered until they try to drive off, they will bail rather than risk discovery figuring out what happened, not to mention the noise created in the process.

I do agree about the AACA signs on the trailer. I have a friend who works in NYC and rides his HD. He uses a Yamaha cover for it. It has never been messed with because nobody want to steal a Yamaha.

[Guest]

Amphicar. When I said security nut, I was referring to PERSONAL security, NOT vehicle security. There has been so much criticism of anonymous posting that I felt I needed to apologize in advance. I believe I said I doubted the value of the club even though I have used one but you may be overstating your point with a 10 second time frame for cutting a steering wheel. <span style="font-style: italic">No flame intended.</span>

I do like your log chain idea. What do you think of the idea of a chain from the trailer around a parking lot light pole or some other permanent object. If they pull down a light pole that should attract a bit of attention.

Vic Anonymous

[Ron Green]

R W Burgess, I have used the hidden switch as you suggested however I put it on the small - wire that feeds from the distributor to the coil. This will allow the vehicle to turn over, make noise and sometimes backfire but will not start the car. Another neat trick is to get a headlight dimmer foot switch, mount it inside up under the brake petal so its semi hard to get to and run this wire though it. Modifications of this can be used for your tow rig.

[Amphicar BUYER]

Vic - I stand corrected! No offense taken. You can't be too careful.

I have done a (albeit small) time test on cutting through an average steering wheel. With the right blade and steering wheel (not all are the same), 10 seconds is quite accurate. Some guys use bolt cutters to cut the wheel even quicker.

If you go around a light pole, it will be illuminated and probably in the open where it will be seen and probably silently cut. Lights don't deter somebody who is bent are getting your stuff, only time will deter them.

[RoadsterRich]

Hindsight is 20/20, I feel for the loss. Hopefully a few of us can learn a little and at least reduce the chance of it happening to us, and maybe others as well.

Rich

[Brassbus]

I haven't heard much about them lately, but the LOJACK theft recovery system seemed to have an excellent record. A small sending devise attached to the vehicle transmits a signal that can be tracked by police when a phone call activates it. It is after the fact, but if I had all that money tied up in a tow rig/show winner, I'd seriously consider it. I just searched for them and they do still exist at: http://www.lojack.com/foryou/lojack.htm.

[Peter J.Heizmann]

Rick, sorry to hear of your friends nightmare. Little consolation, but, it appears there are some good comments and suggestions coming out on this thread that will wake up all of us.

I put the AACA decals on my trailer. In talking with my good friend, Ron Flory recently, I mentioned it was probably a mistake for the same reasons mentioned here.

Thought about a tip, of which, I read some years ago on this subject: "Look in your rearview mirrors when leaving a show". That nice person who tells you what a nice car you have at a show, could also be following you to see where your motel is...!

Regards, Peter J.

[Guest]

IMHO, the best security is a short-tempered but quiet Rottweiler et al who loves to sleep in tow vehicles and doesn't shed. If s/he can get out to check on the trailer and do other business, even better. ID-ing a thief is easy if he leaves his face behind.

[Rick Lay]

I too am guilty of having AACA logos on my trailer. I do, however try to be careful where I park the rig and always disconnect (just a few inches) from the trailer - putting the hitch and weight distributing bars inside the locked trailer. The worst thing about this member's story is the Nash. The trailer and suburban can be replaced. I suspect the thieves had no knowledge of what was in the trailer - and probably did not care. I wonder if the Nash is in the Clinch River by now. Otherwise, what would you do with it?

[1937hd45]

Anonymous, I like the Rottweiler idea, reminds me of the car trailer I saw at the Vintage races at Lime Rock. Nicely painted and lettered == Connecticut Pit Bull Rehablitation Center ==.

[Amphicar BUYER]

On my Harley I keep an empty holster strapped to the saddle bag. Silent but stern warning.

[DizzyDale]

I get mad just reading about things like this,guy goes to Hershey to spend time with his pals and show off his car and ends up with nothing.Fifteen years at the drag races never any problems,always had a cut off switch on the tow vehicle and an electric tongue jack on the trailer that got put down when you left the track.diz

[Guest]

A deceased friend of mine had a Bugatti that he constantly worried about. Naturally he had an enclosed trailer, the sides of which stated in bold lettering, "Porto San, Johnny on the spot for clean relief"

[Guest]

my 1997 suburban was found totally burned out on a rural road in sevier county,tennessee.the nash was found nearby also burned but not as badly as the chevrolet.the fate of the trailer is still unknown.all tools,clothes,personal effects and car parts are missing.thanks for your concern.

[Amphicar BUYER]

Man,, I feel soooooooooo bad for you. Why did they feel the need to destroy them? Geez, take the tools and what they want, but don't destroy the cars!

I have had 2 cars stolen from me. One ended up burned as well. (The other '66 Caddy ragtop was found 11 1/2 months later running and looking great) They were never caught either. I try to tell myself that one day these useless excuses for humans will have something that they dearly love and it will taken from them too. Hopefully they will then remember what they did to your car. My sincereist sympathies go out to you.

[Guest brh]

Words cannot express the sense of loss you must be feeling. I am so sorry to hear of your loss.

[Dave@Moon]

This is actually great news. The Suburban and the trailer can be replaced by the insurance company, but the Nash would've been lost and you'd have only been compensated for it.

Now the car can be redone with insurance money and (with time) all will be back to where it was two weeks ago!

---------------------------------------

How much do you want to bet the thieves thought they were stealing something with that item treasured of all things automotive, a small block Chevy! The sad irony is, they probably feel worse for themselves than they made you feel!

[ex98thdrill]

As bad as I feel about your loss, at least they got the Nash back and they've got a chance at getting the car back together. Hopefully the insurance company will do their jobs and won't try to weasel out on anything and give them the money that they deserve and not hit them with "depreciation costs". As bad as the situation is, at least the Nash is back and they won't have to spend the rest of their life wondering where the car ended up. The sad part about this, is WHY?? I know the car was probably torched to eliminate fingerprints, but it is sad when someone steals a car and destroys it.

[Ron Green]

Glad to see it back. Heres a long shot, have the Nash dusted for finger prints if possible and if any are found less yours and friends have them run though the national computer of finger prints for criminals. Many car thieves are repeat offenders and are well documented, in fact in many of the larger cities they can get caught up to 6 times stealing a vehicle before they are jailed so good records are kept. It won't get the Nash back together however it may give you some personal satisfaction if they can be caught?

[ex98thdrill]

Depending on time and environmental conditions, the fingerprints are probably long gone.... especially if it's been cold. If the car was burned and the fire department was called, the chances of the crime scene contamination are much greater, especially with firefighters, two truck operators, etc. Had it not been for the vehicles burned out, you might have a better chance catching them through DNA. The only thing is that being a only stolen car and not a violent felony (like a murder) I think you'd be hard pressed to find a law enforcement agency to take the time to do it unless there has been a series of car thefts in the area where the vehicles were stolen in the same manner.

[Guest Skyking]

The very sad part to this whole ordeal, there is no justice in this free America. People do what they want and do not get punished. All you ever hear anyone say is "it's a good thing you had insurance". If stiff laws were inforced our insurance would be cheap! These heartless prople should be hung from the nearest tree.....then maybe you'll see it stopped, but then again, we live in a too civilized country. Some of us will say "they have their rights"

[Ron Green]

You are probably right regarding the fingerprints, and definely right that the police are to busy to deal with it. Thats what they told me when my daily driver van got broken into years ago, call your insurance company. No question that they are busy and under staffed in many cases.

I had my wallet under the seat (stupid) and they took that any other things in the van. Luckly I called first thing in the morning and cancelled the credit cards because in 25 minutes they had $1,200 charged to the phone card.

About 3 weeks later the police called my house and said someone had found my credit cards and drivers license. Went to get them and as the officer was handling them over to me pulled them back and asked me for a picture ID. After almost an half hour of pleading that I didn't have one as it was stolen I finally convinced him to look in the envelope at my drivers license. For some reason I was made to feel like the criminal?

Skyking you hit the nail on the head!!!

[R W Burgess]

I agree with Skyking also, Ron. I had an old beater Nissan sitting beside a mechanic's shop some years ago waiting for a replacement brake master cylinder to get installed. I had left the keys under the seat like I always did. The tags were dead as was the inspection sticker. The car was stolen one weekend by two delinquent kids and taken for a joy ride to Fredericksburg, Va., about 60 miles away. The brakes were really bad, had to be pumped continously to even consider stopping the car. Evidently there were driving a little too fast in Fredericksburg, got noticed by a cop, knew they were in trouble, so they made a run for it. Speeding through town, running red lights, heading for the interstate on-ramp. Too fast, hard turn, oops!, too late, no brakes, multiple rollovers. The boys ended up in jail with many cuts and bruises. Like old Clint would say, "You got to know your limitations". I guess that goes for the cars limitations also.