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Stolen AH and MG Parts

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rick_ingram

rick_ingram

Yoda
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Cross-posting this from another BBS:
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My twenty five year collection of MGA, MGB, and Austin Healey Sprite parts was stolen from my farm in North east Mississippi last Thursday Feb 11th. I have many 948, 1098, 1500, and 1800 MG engines and gearboxes. I had one huge crate of SU carbs, many wires wheels sets, top bow assemblies, axle shafts, gauges of all types, Jaeger, Smith's, etc.........I think you get the picture. The cops are involved and I am trying to go through the proper channels in hopes that some crack head or doper has not scrapped everything.
If anyone on this board in the southeast is offered anything via Craigslist or EBAY that originates in this area please let me know.
To ad insult to injury the crooks came back and took my brothers 1959 Austin Healey Sprite body assembly.
I took the VIN plate off many years ago so it would not get lost in the restoration process but I need to dig for the Heritage spec sheet with the body number that is in the door jamb.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
John Robertson
Riverside, CA
951.515.3678
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String em up.
 
I would sure hope that in this age of uber communication amongst enthusiasts like Spridget freaks, the bad guys won't have a prayer of selling all that off without a good chance of getting caught. I'd like to hope anyway. I suppose proving "their" items were originally yours might be tough, with the exception of that body shell with #s on it. Hope they don't hack it apart.
 
Hey Rick, sorry for the bad news. if you have any recycling places nearby you may want to check with them to see it the parts are there. good luck with your search and hope they get caught the POSSOB.
 
Closest big towns would be probably Huntsville or Memphis. Not too far from Tony's neck of the woods, he would have been a good resource for something like this with his connections. Rik lives near Huntsville and might be a good one to look out for things like that. My company has a plant in the Corinth area and I got some friends down there that I can tell to be on the lookout for someone trying to unload british car parts. I got another friend in Ripley, MS that might know who the low lifes and stuff in that area are. You got to think though that anybody who would steal something like that already had a plan on where to get rid of it. Its not like a pawn shop is going to give much for it. I have been robbed before and its no fun at all. Took a lot of gall to come back and get the sprite body.
 
Hey Rick, Isn't that the guy that was selling a BE a few weeks ago?

If so, it was probably somoen who responded to his post. Ask him if he gave directions to anyone. Then again, cops probably already asked him or he thought it already. Someone up there need to check/call scrap yard as folks here are selling ~ANYTHING~ for scrap metal right now.

It's either someone who contacted him about the car, or a local selling scrap metal.
 
Oddly enough one of my old bosses was from Ripley.

Good luck finding these guys (or girls). I doubt this stuff would be going to a scrap yard. Sounds like too much work for scrap value.
 
billspit said:
Oddly enough one of my old bosses was from Ripley.

Good luck finding these guys (or girls). I doubt this stuff would be going to a scrap yard. Sounds like too much work for scrap value.
Click to expand...


Shucks, you wouldn't ~BELIEVE~ the lenths folks go to here for scrap !!! It got as high as $11 per 100#'s here and they went NUTS. You're right, too much work but they do it anyway ~TRUST ME~ !!!!
 
Good news/bad news....

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John Robertson
California, USA
1957 MG MGA
1959 MG MGA
1960 MG MGA
1972 MG MGB & more... Mar 22, 2010 03:13PM
Registered: 4 years ago
Posts: 82

Thanks for all of the support and comments.
The idiots who stole my collection of MGA parts have been caught!
Two bonded out of jail and one is still in.
They are all in their early 20's and looking for fast cash as ALL of the stuff was sent to the scrap dealer and subsequently crushed.
I'm now working with the D.A. to spank these heathens hard and start the process of restitution..............about $30,000 I estimate.
I think four complete MGA's, one Bugeye, and 25 years worth of good solid parts should be worth at least that.
I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
Note to all............review all of your security measures if you have bulk parts and cars around make sure NO one can see anything.
One thief remarked to the lead investigator that he saw one of the MGB GT's I had peering out on the back forty and that was enough for him to break into my barn to see what other goodies might be in there.
 
Sounds like the scrap dealer was in on it to me. Might want to mention that to the DA.
 
Figured, man that sucks!


How'd y'all catch 'em?

Did you check at the scrap yard? One here will hold cool old stuff off to the side and sell it.
 
I have no idea but I would think when scrap cars/parts with numbers are brought in that a record of the VIN or # should be taken along with ID of person taking it in. At least cars and engines and such. If the stuff is found to be stolen I would think the scraper should be on the hook if he didn't to the record keeping. I don't know how you'll get $30,000 out of deadbeats but I hope you do. All the work they did stealing, why not just WORK and get paid? Makes me want to puke. Sorry for your troubles.
 
30 years at $10K per should be about right... I'd prefer they work a 7 day shift on a turnip farm but incarceration is all they'd likely get. Not long enuff, either.
 
I think you should make them wear pink jumpsuits and have them do all the filthy, dirty, restoration tasks that we hate to do. Make them work for nothing restoring the cars they trashed, then sell them to payoff their debt. Make it in a public location with a web-cam. There are some pretty nasty rust buckets out there that need a lot of labor. Grinding, blasting, sanding, anything that sucks....make them do. Make them do it over until they get it right. Make them understand what it takes to restore one of these cars, only to have it all taken away, leaving you with nothing. That's my two cents.....

Scumbags!
 
THAT somehow seems poetic justice, Ed!!!

"THAT'S not right!!! Start over." :smile:
 
DrEntropy said:
THAT somehow seems poetic justice, Ed!!!

"THAT'S not right!!! Start over." :smile:
Click to expand...

You've almost got it Doc, "That's not right!!!" - (picks up sledge hammer, marks where it is not right) "Start over." :smile:
 
I have always thought that they should construct "stocks" in the center of all of the modern Malls and then put criminals in the stocks and put them on display for the public .
 
Good luck with the restitution. Aint gonna happen if my experience with burglary, car prowls, etc., is any predictor.

Personally, I vote for a restitution by proxy, and its name is Louisville Slugger.
 
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