Some days i just want to dig a moat

[flatheadmurre]

I´ve been pretty lucky not having trespassers coming into the yard.
Sweden is invaded by scrapmetal thieves from who knows where that gets caught and police let´t them out the next day....
So this weekend disaster struck me badly.
Breaking into a coldstorage they found 50+ radiators going from 32-53.
It really pisses me off that they will end up being hacked to pieces for scrap instead of bringing a car back to life...
Radiators can be replaced...but an original one is hard to copy nicely..so frustrating !!
We lost a piece of the hobby to scrap...

[Seth Swoboda]

I had this happen to me a few years ago when scrap prices in the US were record high. I had pallets of chassis and engine parts including 32 Ford parts stolen for scrap. We even had the front weights stolen off of a John Deere tractor.

I went to the local scrap yard to see if anything of mine had been brought in. No luck.

After that I installed motion cameras at a few different locations. A few months later I caught the license plate of a pickup truck that had showed up early one morning. The two guys did a little breaking and entering. Stole a few items and left. Gave the camera images to the local police. They arrested two young men. One a juvenile and the other 20 years old.

[Ggmac]

Sorry for the loss . I've got 13 cameras around the shop and 4 around the house . The systems are cheap , 1 TB hard drive on 4 different set ups .
Cheap insurance , it'll beep if someone sets off the motion sensors . You can block out trees or other movements and schedule a time .

[Vics Stuff]

That is real sad. I am sorry for your loss. Here in my state of Alaska . the thieves are just let go if caught . I know that in Nevada , a property owner has the right to use what ever force necessary to protect their property , even if that means shooting . That was told to me by a county police sargent .
Wish that was the case all over. Then that , my stop or at least slow these guys down.
Vic

[RalphG]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I'd rather give the stuff away to someone that would use than have some drug head thieves steal it for scrap to buy more drugs. Thats what most of the small time crooks seem to be out for these days.

[flatheadmurre]

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Sad thing is that i now don´t even have radiators for the trucks i´m putting togetter.
Went from a good selection down to 3 radiators in a blink.
Protecting property is a joke around here...i had a sign saying here ends swedish law...property protected by a doubble barrel 3 days a week...guess which.
That was a threat according to law around here and has to be taken down.
I have cameras closer to the house and shop but most storage is in trailers out in the field.
My yard is full of metal and stuff...my friends come and get some when they need and drop off leftovers...that probably attracts the wrong elements.

[Mart]

I had the hardtop for my 57 Thunderbird stolen. That's just devalued the car by £1000 at least.

[flatheadmurre]

Sorry to hear Mart...Sold one last summer that was descent...your´s should have the opera windows doesn´t it ??
Have a dashpadding/cover or what you call it descent but someone creative tried to colour it from blue to black...anyone with a driver can have it for a sixpack...can´t just make myself throw usable stuff away.

[mhsprecher]

Sad. In my area, the scrap yards took your DL and copied it and noted it on everything that was cashed in. I have no idea if that helped or not? In my home town about a dozen years ago, thieves took the copper gutters of our historic church. That is pretty low. Churches don't have a lot of money to replace that sort of thing.

[RalphM]

Catch them and castrate them, they will think twice next time!
Oh, and get some of these;

[AZ Chris]

Just don't take the law into your own hands

https://5newsonline.com/2017/11/01/m...-salvage-yard/

[tubman]

Originally Posted by AZ Chris

Just don't take the law into your own hands

https://5newsonline.com/2017/11/01/m...-salvage-yard/

Just the kind of advice we need in this day and age.

[A bones]

Hey flatheadmurre, when I lived in the city (Phila) I was always on the alert for trouble. Through the years I've lost more than I care to talk about. The flashes of disappointment and disgust in my mind, just make my skin creep. I even took to keeping the hours the crooks kept to let them know I wouldn't share with them.

When I took to long haul trucking I had to pare down the collection and pay for monitored storage units (In a remote part of Hershey) for the dearest projects. Now I live in the sticks. I feel safer but watchful, waiting. My neighbor has a big loud dog, fire arms, and a well trained eye. I'm Grateful for that.

Thirty five years ago ( when I was between changes in life ) I was forced to experience the bit by bit disappearance of a favorite treasure (winning) one that had given me much pleasure and satisfaction. Nothing I could do at that period of time but, seethe with anger. As sickness moved into my heart, I turned to prayer. At that juncture I realized that I had got into the hobby for pleasure, fun, and a life long infatuation with the auto car. If my life decisions resulted in such feelings, then screw it. Let it go, Move on to the next project. I've since found five more treasures to keep my juices flowing.

The thought though, of 'exotic' metal turning not just into contraband but smelter fodder is disgusting.

My sympathies. So where can we buy a moat?

[Talkwrench]

Makes the blood boil.. I'd say Sweden , the UK much like Australia you really cant do much, you're not allowed to protect yourself or property unless with "equal force" .. work that out if you're 80 and the perp is 20...??

[Darrell S]

Around here that wouldn't even rate a visit from law enforcement. Powers that be are more interested in taking care of the drug infested perpetrators.

[Bob NH]

80 against 20 ? You'd ought to be able to get at least a lunch while he's getting a meal !

[Tinker]

I'd say, someone knew they were there and had a plan. Not a hey, look whats in here. lots of stuff to transport. bummer.


You could put some of these up too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL6hTx7rRTM
Not legal here to actually use shot, highly illegal to do so with shot.
but as a alarm with blanks, they are fine and cheap.

If you're fenced off, a couple of dogs never hurt. rhodesian ridgebacks or a belgian shepherd are a neat dog for the size.


Better maybe. Ring systems work of wifi and go right to your phone.

https://ring.com/


Once someone is successful they might be back. Best of luck!

[VeryTangled]

Hi Everyone. This is messed up!

The detective in me says that fifty radiators are not moved in a small transport, or on the spur of the moment, or without a quick flip destination.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Darrell S

Around here that wouldn't even rate a visit from law enforcement. Powers that be are more interested in taking care of the drug infested perpetrators.

"Trust us, we're the government."

[Tinker]

Being that this year here, we had 16,000 od deaths from fentanyl. Them boys have their hands full.


Don't lose site of the fact that most everyone is good people. just a few small bad actors. Well I hope anyway

[corvette8n]

Bummer

[TagMan]

In certain areas, the prevailing social spectrum defends the criminals, not the victims.

[Jw]

Electric Fence!

[leon bee]

I've bought a couple cars from a real good guy about 60 miles from me. Has 80 or 100 rough cars out in the woods behind his house, and he's been trying to sell them all. People come and look, especially after he did a couple craigslist ads.

Then, varmints sneak back in and steal small stuff. Tail lights, etc. Or he'll see that somebody has snagged all the medallions off something like a 58 Impala. Constantly. He thought about booby traps, but that's just get HIM in trouble. I hate thieves.

[tubman]

Holy shit, Murre, that's terrible! That many radiators must be worth a pile, seeing what the price of copper and brass is. What's chances that insurance will cover any of it?

[Mart]

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Originally Posted by flatheadmurre

Sorry to hear Mart...Sold one last summer that was descent...your´s should have the opera windows doesn´t it ??
Have a dashpadding/cover or what you call it descent but someone creative tried to colour it from blue to black...anyone with a driver can have it for a sixpack...can´t just make myself throw usable stuff away.

Portholes? Well, to add insult to injury mine had the rarely ordered optional '57 only Non-Porthole top. (different to 55 and 56 non port tops).

I try not to think about it.

Mart.

[Bill's Auto Works]

Very sorry to hear this happened to you Sir!

I know it can happen anywhere, but I moved way out into the country about 15 years ago & keep all my stuff in the shop most of the time.

As a Transporter, I am gone quite a bit, so I always make things look the same whether I am here or not ( all vehicles inside, etc) I also like guns & can shoot out here anytime I want (that might be a deterent as well) I have dogs & my parents built a place next door several years back, so they come over to take care of the dogs & cat. The other good thing is it would be very hard to "sneak up" on my place because of the wooded, steep hill & almost a mile through the woods back to the next road to park.

Everyone has to be vigilant, but I refuse to let the concern take over my life.

God Bless & Merry Christmas
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...closed.614419/

[JWL]

This REALLY sucks. I have had a few similar experiences and the feeling of being violated is almost overwhelming.

One suggestion is dogs. During the past many years I have had some noisy dogs and have not had any problem when I had several dogs overseeing the area. I have only one dog at present so your terrible story might motivate me to get back to full strength.

[leon bee]

Originally Posted by leon bee

I've bought a couple cars from a real good guy about 60 miles from me. Has 80 or 100 rough cars out in the woods behind his house, and he's been trying to sell them all. People come and look, especially after he did a couple craigslist ads.

Then, varmints sneak back in and steal small stuff. Tail lights, etc. Or he'll see that somebody has snagged all the medallions off something like a 58 Impala. Constantly. He thought about booby traps, but that's just get HIM in trouble. I hate thieves.

When I go out to look at something with this guy, he takes a rifle because of bears having been spotted on the property. Maybe if a bear mauled one of those thieves? But then I don't guess I'd be real eager to look around, either.

[50fordcoupeman]

Needs to put out more bear bait..............

[flatheadmurre]

We actually have a couple of wolves around here...sadly they prefer the neighbours sheep over the foreign junkfood thieves...
I bought some more cameras that are wireless and logs 30 days in the cloud...hopefully they are as good as the seller says...

[Tinker]

Maybe you need to get some goats or sheep too.


Best of luck! F*ck thieves.

[5851a]

Around here we had a serious flood 10 years back. People were evacuated and not allowed to take belongings. When they were they came back to houses destroyed by thieves knocking down walls to rip the plumbing and wiring out. How can people go so low to kick someone who has lost everything, makes me sick. I wish I was a Judge.

[Mart]

Digging this thread up as I have an update..

My top appeared on facebook for sale.

I went and looked at it today and got it back.

I don't believe the guy that had it had stolen it, he says it was in the back of a van he bought to break or export.

I had a couple of mates with me in case the situation turned bad.

Long story short, I got my top back and gave him a small sum of money for looking after it for me. I was just pleased to find it again. He was hoping for big bucks for it.

Mart.

[petehoovie]

Good for you, Mart!....

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by Mart

Digging this thread up as I have an update..

My top appeared on facebook for sale.

I went and looked at it today and got it back.

Mart.

Mart, I just shuffled back to see what top you had lost... I wonder if those tops were exclusive to theUK? I've never seen a '57 without portholes Stateside.

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by ford38v8

Mart, I just shuffled back to see what top you had lost... I wonder if those tops were exclusive to theUK? I've never seen a '57 without portholes Stateside.

The portholes were a no cost option at least in '57. Most people got the portholes. I had one without portholes and it was dangerous to drive.

Charlie Stephens

[Brian]

Lucky you Mart! Excellent. And you were gentlemanly enough to pay him for storage?!!

[rockfla]

Sadly
It's not just auto parts.....We had an employee steel what ended up being 3 tons of Stainless Steel, Silicone Bronze. brass and monel fasteners and scrapping it all for what amounted to less than ten percent of the inventory value. The local prosecutor asked me "does any of it have serial numbers, or how can I prove its ours??? Long and the short, since he stole it over several months and by the time we found out what was happening.......there was "only" about $300 worth of our stock that he got caught with which was a misdemeanor and he walked scott free!!!!

[ford38v8]

There once was a brickyard employee who was stopped at the gate every day to inspect his wheelbarrow load of broken bricks, and was always approved to pass. He made a substantial income selling wheelbarrows on the side.

[Bill's Auto Works]

That is Great News Mart! Some days we catch a break. Too bad the thieves were not caught!

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...closed.614419/

[russcc]

Reminds me of a story. A couple in the country were about ready to go to bed, when the wife said to her husband, John, you forgot to turn off the light in the back shed. He says, there is no light in it. He called the police. They said they would be out to investigate it in an hour or two. He called them back about 5 minutes later, and told them not to bother as he shot both of the thieves. They were there in 15 minutes.

[flatheadmurre]

This is good news Mart.
It´s great to hear that you got it back.
Over here if i even point a gun at a tresspasser i´m probablly the one ending up in jail...

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by flatheadmurre

This is good news Mart.
It´s great to hear that you got it back.
Over here if i even point a gun at a tresspasser i´m probablly the one ending up in jail...

Here, the advice is to drag his body into the house, and put one of your kitchen carving knives in his cold dead hand. Next, call your lawyer, and finally, call the cops.

[bitterbierce]

Originally Posted by flatheadmurre

We actually have a couple of wolves around here...sadly they prefer the neighbours sheep over the foreign junkfood thieves...
I bought some more cameras that are wireless and logs 30 days in the cloud...hopefully they are as good as the seller says...

I own six of them.
Those cameras usually work quite well in cold climates. Over here in Spain they do not work well during the summer if the ambient temperature is over 30ºC
more or less. You have to place them along the path, or in diagonal, otherwise it takes a second or so to awaken and you don't catch the critters.