I just got it back on the road with the new engine and tranny and drove it for the first time yesterday just to have it stolen and torched. They broke the lock out and pryed open the steering column as she was locked up.
So sorry to see that, what a terrible thing for someone to do.
Hope they catch the people who did it
ron fuller said
Jul 17, 2016
I can't believe it. You work so hard then this happen. I'm so 😞
4-door Chevelle said
Jul 17, 2016
I have many people to thank here in the club who helped me get this car painted, fixed, going, stopping, wired and just plain being the coolest car on the planet.
bwild70ss396 said
Jul 17, 2016
I am sorry to hear this brother. Wow.
John D said
Jul 17, 2016
Looks like an underhood fire... or did the scumbags light the interior too?
Larry Lucast said
Jul 17, 2016
What do people get out of such senseless destruction? What a shame!
4-door Chevelle said
Jul 17, 2016
The source of the fire was under the hood passenger's side.
Chris S said
Jul 17, 2016
Sorry to hear about your car Darren, I know you have put a lot into that car.
Jon H said
Jul 17, 2016
Sorry to hear of your loss.
Chris R said
Jul 17, 2016
Sorry to hear this Darren. I know what its like to be in your position and its devastating indeed.
dashboard said
Jul 17, 2016
Sorry for your loss Darren. I know you've put a lot of time and money into your car over the last several years.
68chevelle said
Jul 18, 2016
What is wrong with people. Sounds like 6 cars were stolen this weekend.
OscarZ said
Jul 18, 2016
That's terrible! Sorry to hear this Darren!
Did you have an ignition box mounted where the fire started? Craig S (ex club Pres) used to have a sweeper dash in his spare parts pile.
4-door Chevelle said
Jul 18, 2016
That is an interesting comment Michael as I did have a refurbished MSD box in the exact location where the fire appears to have started. The machinist that built the engine also was wondering if there may have been an electrical problem that started the fire.
OscarZ said
Jul 18, 2016
I was curious if the damage they did to the electrical to "hot wire"
it assuming they did so may have led to an issue with the MSD box. Guessing an unfortunate side effect vs a deliberate act. A moot point either way as the end result is awful. Yours hits closer to home but I feel bad for the others who had cars stolen as well. Makes me want to revisit hiding a kill switch somewhere.
SteveS said
Jul 18, 2016
That's awful Darren, and just when you got it together. I hope insurance comes through for you.
Enganeer said
Jul 18, 2016
If I have any dash stuff left from my 70 elky to 4th gen camaro dash swap, your welcome to them...though Stan may most of it....not sure.
4-door Chevelle said
Jul 18, 2016
Car is covered. Claim is in. State Farm will assign a specialist due to the type of vehicle and I am sure I will have to negotiate the value of the vehicle. I do have receipts for everything so that may help. High value per NADA is $10,900 which would be a little low in my opinion.
The car should be totaled and I will certainly buy the car back, usually for $500.
The machinist already said he would go through the engine and tranny he just built for me. Whether that is for a new Chevelle or this one is to be seen yet. I have resurrected many vehicles in my history but never one this bad.
arlind said
Jul 18, 2016
So sorry to see that what are people thinking?
4-door Chevelle said
Jul 18, 2016
Hey Arlin, I see you are in Eden Prairie like I am. We should get together.
Lost in the 60s said
Jul 18, 2016
WOW, just WOW. Words are not enough to vent the anger felt at scum thieves who think it's funny to steal what isn't theirs.
The fire may well be a secondary consequence and may have happened to you, but either way, it is really sad to see all your blood, sweat and tears sitting in that condition.
Did the fire department find it necessary to cut the cowl hood in half to open it ????? Isn't there a latch under the bumper, like all other '72 Chevelles ???
4-door Chevelle said
Jul 18, 2016
Thanks for the note Mitch. Yea, apparently it was too hard to pull the latch but I believe they did what they needed to do in the heat of the moment ... literally.
John D said
Jul 18, 2016
Not trying to make light of this, put I'm seeing this as a blessing in disguise... Yes, the Scumbags stole your car... but the MSD box failed, caused a fire, and stopped them. Picture this... you are on the road with the littlin's, camper in tow, and you have an underhood fire!
Just thinking...
arlind said
Jul 18, 2016
We should have lunch sometime.
arlind said
Jul 18, 2016
Darren We should have lunch sometime.
4-door Chevelle said
Jul 19, 2016
There was a total of 9 cars stolen as listed on their Facebook page
I can see where a major car show would be a prime hunting ground for scum bags looking for "parts cars".
Difficult to see the damage as a blessing but if the alternative where to never see it again, you may be the lucky one.
4-door Chevelle said
Jul 26, 2016
The estimate from the insurance company came in a bit north of 20k. I see a 71 Heavy Chevy that just showed up on CL...
If I buy the car back an exact duplicate of my car also showed up on CL for $295. I need complete wiring on both sides of the firewall and a dash but do I want to put in 44 year old wiring?
Oh, I am currently looking to buy a house as I have nowhere to store a couple Chevelles while I work on them.
Still mad and sad but will never give in or give up.
Lost in the 60s said
Jul 26, 2016
American Autowire update kit is $600...every wire you will ever need from front to back. I've bought several now.
Did they give you a figure to buy it back ?
The 4 door in WI is trash. If the quarters are that bad, figure the floors and trunk are gone too...
Look further south for something cleaner to start with. I know a guy with a trailer who is always looking for an excuse to drive around the country. Maybe Stan can find a clean 4 door down there for cheap.
Chris R said
Jul 26, 2016
I think I would focus on getting a house where you can park the car (inside) then look for the next project car. No insurance company is going to insure a collector car for what its really worth without a safe garage to park it in.
4-door Chevelle said
Aug 20, 2016
Sooo...I have been having fun scouring the countryside for a new Chevelle. I have been seriously looking at cars between about $13,000 and $23,000 in the 2 and 4 headlight versions. My goal has been to find the perfect combination of what I want and like about our cars. I have now owned 9 Chevelles since 1977 so I have a good idea of what I like. I am setup to look at a real 70 SS later this morning, how cool is that?!?
Back to reality...
Even though the insurance company estimate to repair the car came in over $23,000. Even though I show my investment at over $20,000 with receipts for most of it. Even though at retail value this is almost a $30,000 car. I got the phone call late yesterday afternoon the underwriters are coming in at about $10,000! Of course I highlighted the brand new $10,000 engine and tranny, the 6 year old restoration, the unique and irreplaceable nature of my car as well as the many custom aspects of the car. The claims rep was sympathetic and said he would go to bat for me to bump it up so I am still hopeful they come up with a much better number. I can barely buy a decent Chevelle for $10,000 and it ain't gonna be fast. They did say I can buy the car back at 10 to 20 percent so I definitely will do that. Since I live in an apartment I need to find a garage spot somewhere in the Twin Cities ( ANYONE? ) to take this car apart as there are still a lot of good pieces that I don't want to give up.
Anyway, I committed to buy a piece of property in northern Minnesota with a friend expecting a decent settlement. I am still going to do that as 10 acres and a house next to his 10 acres with a house deep in the woods is actually fulfilling a dream of mine. The place is completely off the grid with a wood stove in the house and I am going to make bike trails for the kids, a small pond to put a raft in and probably a tree fort to just play around and enjoy the family and nature.
I wasn't suppose to have to build another Chevelle. I was done and quite happy with what I have. I was going to give this one to my son and he was going to give it to his son. I do still have the drive and determination around my passion for cars but my 57 year old body reminds me that every major task or time that I "overdue it" comes with a high cost and I try to reserve my strength for work and the grand-babies. Of course, ice and ibuprofen help but I try to avoid pain.
Exhale. Focus. Wait. Go to a car show.
Lost in the 60s said
Aug 20, 2016
If you buy it back, tuck it away and gather parts over winter to repair what you have. You don't really have a place to work on it now anyway. Maybe by next spring/summer, you will be in a better position to work on a car and have most/all the parts ready to go.
I'm not following the land purchase...are you planning to move there and get out of the cities ??
bowtie said
Aug 20, 2016
Dude, you're 57??? Wouldn't have guessed!
Aside from that, I feel for you. Keep pushing for the better settlement. Was your insurance written as "Agreed upon" value or market value? Was there an appraisal done for the insurance previously? Just trying to think of thins that would help your case too.
4-door Chevelle said
Aug 20, 2016
I can buy it back for about 10% of the offer which is at this point a no-brainer considering what I have in to the car. I do have a place to store the car but I would like a place to store and WORK on the car. I am not a fan of the CAC.
One of the Chevelles I looked at today has a leaky back window so maybe you and I can do another back window re-seal again???
I own a small home in Silver Bay just north of Duluth. It is right in town with all the city amenities my wife likes and you can at least see Lake Superior from the home. If I want or need I can move there any time as the home is paid for but with 5 kids, 9 grand-kids and good jobs it is hard to move 220 miles away. Even though that home is a "get away" kind of place I have been wanting to buy land in the woods for some time now so when my best of friends presented a great deal I said yes. I was pleasantly surprised that 4 of my adult children expressed real interest in the property and what I plan to do with it.
Thank you for your comments Bryan! I have no idea what the value clause says but I am going to work this case to the bone!
The $23,000 70 Chevelle I also looked at this morning was beautiful but sure had a lot of mickey mouse work done on it. I thanked the guy for his time and told him he had a beautiful car but it has far more issues that really surprised me.
more ambition than brains said
Aug 22, 2016
This may help https://www.lelandwest.com/stated-value-vs-agreed-value-classic-car-insurance.cfm
Insurance policies are not always what they seem.
Hope things work out for you!
Karl
P.S.
Not to belabor the point.
Most policies written for the majority of vehicles are ACV (actual cash value) policies.
The insurance company does its own market research to support their offer. In most cases on a typical daily use vehicle they will offer more than you could have sold the car for in a private party sale or what "trade in" might be. If you have a car that you just put a replacement motor or other major component it does not significantly affect the value of the vehicle. Much like high end tile, gold fixtures etc. in a house. The vehicle has to have all parts working to support value. Policy is priced based on perceived value of vehicle in stock condition, often excluding upgrades and non-oem parts, including sound systems, performance items etc. I have seen where toppers on a pick up truck were excluded from settlement because they were added later.
If you disagree you must find your own comps. to discredit theirs. Most claims people just want to get it settled and move on. They do have to justify their actions to keep their jobs.
As noted in article stated value still has to be confirmed before claim is paid.
Agreed value policies may require appraisals, physical inspections and other information to substantiate "agreed" value. While I do not pretend to underwrite insurance it is my understanding that policy pricing is based on the value agreed and confirmed. There is no free lunch on these policies.
There are exceptions to every case, again, hope yours works out.
P.S. again,
For the record all my policies on my personal stuff are ACV policies, I self insure for the difference. In the case of the Biscayne I would probably be $25000.00 short of what I have in it parts, labor and purchase. Not much of the problem on the Camaro. Trailblazer or the Coach. They are stock and my investment is consistent with their value.
Tools, equipment and parts in storage building are subject to a policy limit in place when the policy was underwritten.
Karl
-- Edited by more ambition than brains on Monday 22nd of August 2016 12:03:48 PM
-- Edited by more ambition than brains on Monday 22nd of August 2016 07:32:07 PM
-- Edited by more ambition than brains on Monday 22nd of August 2016 07:34:12 PM
I just got it back on the road with the new engine and tranny and drove it for the first time yesterday just to have it stolen and torched. They broke the lock out and pryed open the steering column as she was locked up.
I am devastated...
So sorry to see that, what a terrible thing for someone to do.
Hope they catch the people who did it
Sorry to hear about your car Darren, I know you have put a lot into that car.
Sorry to hear this Darren. I know what its like to be in your position and its devastating indeed.
That's awful Darren, and just when you got it together. I hope insurance comes through for you.
The car should be totaled and I will certainly buy the car back, usually for $500.
The machinist already said he would go through the engine and tranny he just built for me. Whether that is for a new Chevelle or this one is to be seen yet. I have resurrected many vehicles in my history but never one this bad.
So sorry to see that what are people thinking?
WOW, just WOW. Words are not enough to vent the anger felt at scum thieves who think it's funny to steal what isn't theirs.
The fire may well be a secondary consequence and may have happened to you, but either way, it is really sad to see all your blood, sweat and tears sitting in that condition.
Did the fire department find it necessary to cut the cowl hood in half to open it ????? Isn't there a latch under the bumper, like all other '72 Chevelles ???
Just thinking...
There was a total of 9 cars stolen as listed on their Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/carshownationalscom-217461418285565/?pnref=story
I can see where a major car show would be a prime hunting ground for scum bags looking for "parts cars".
Difficult to see the damage as a blessing but if the alternative where to never see it again, you may be the lucky one.
If I buy the car back an exact duplicate of my car also showed up on CL for $295. I need complete wiring on both sides of the firewall and a dash but do I want to put in 44 year old wiring?
Oh, I am currently looking to buy a house as I have nowhere to store a couple Chevelles while I work on them.
Still mad and sad but will never give in or give up.
American Autowire update kit is $600...every wire you will ever need from front to back. I've bought several now.
Did they give you a figure to buy it back ?
The 4 door in WI is trash. If the quarters are that bad, figure the floors and trunk are gone too...
Look further south for something cleaner to start with. I know a guy with a trailer who is always looking for an excuse to drive around the country. Maybe Stan can find a clean 4 door down there for cheap.
I think I would focus on getting a house where you can park the car (inside) then look for the next project car. No insurance company is going to insure a collector car for what its really worth without a safe garage to park it in.
Back to reality...
Even though the insurance company estimate to repair the car came in over $23,000. Even though I show my investment at over $20,000 with receipts for most of it. Even though at retail value this is almost a $30,000 car. I got the phone call late yesterday afternoon the underwriters are coming in at about $10,000! Of course I highlighted the brand new $10,000 engine and tranny, the 6 year old restoration, the unique and irreplaceable nature of my car as well as the many custom aspects of the car. The claims rep was sympathetic and said he would go to bat for me to bump it up so I am still hopeful they come up with a much better number. I can barely buy a decent Chevelle for $10,000 and it ain't gonna be fast. They did say I can buy the car back at 10 to 20 percent so I definitely will do that. Since I live in an apartment I need to find a garage spot somewhere in the Twin Cities ( ANYONE? ) to take this car apart as there are still a lot of good pieces that I don't want to give up.
Anyway, I committed to buy a piece of property in northern Minnesota with a friend expecting a decent settlement. I am still going to do that as 10 acres and a house next to his 10 acres with a house deep in the woods is actually fulfilling a dream of mine. The place is completely off the grid with a wood stove in the house and I am going to make bike trails for the kids, a small pond to put a raft in and probably a tree fort to just play around and enjoy the family and nature.
I wasn't suppose to have to build another Chevelle. I was done and quite happy with what I have. I was going to give this one to my son and he was going to give it to his son. I do still have the drive and determination around my passion for cars but my 57 year old body reminds me that every major task or time that I "overdue it" comes with a high cost and I try to reserve my strength for work and the grand-babies. Of course, ice and ibuprofen help but I try to avoid pain.
Exhale. Focus. Wait. Go to a car show.
I'm not following the land purchase...are you planning to move there and get out of the cities ??
Aside from that, I feel for you. Keep pushing for the better settlement. Was your insurance written as "Agreed upon" value or market value? Was there an appraisal done for the insurance previously? Just trying to think of thins that would help your case too.
One of the Chevelles I looked at today has a leaky back window so maybe you and I can do another back window re-seal again???
I own a small home in Silver Bay just north of Duluth. It is right in town with all the city amenities my wife likes and you can at least see Lake Superior from the home. If I want or need I can move there any time as the home is paid for but with 5 kids, 9 grand-kids and good jobs it is hard to move 220 miles away. Even though that home is a "get away" kind of place I have been wanting to buy land in the woods for some time now so when my best of friends presented a great deal I said yes. I was pleasantly surprised that 4 of my adult children expressed real interest in the property and what I plan to do with it.
Thank you for your comments Bryan! I have no idea what the value clause says but I am going to work this case to the bone!
The $23,000 70 Chevelle I also looked at this morning was beautiful but sure had a lot of mickey mouse work done on it. I thanked the guy for his time and told him he had a beautiful car but it has far more issues that really surprised me.
This may help https://www.lelandwest.com/stated-value-vs-agreed-value-classic-car-insurance.cfm
Insurance policies are not always what they seem.
Hope things work out for you!
Karl
P.S.
Not to belabor the point.
Most policies written for the majority of vehicles are ACV (actual cash value) policies.
The insurance company does its own market research to support their offer. In most cases on a typical daily use vehicle they will offer more than you could have sold the car for in a private party sale or what "trade in" might be. If you have a car that you just put a replacement motor or other major component it does not significantly affect the value of the vehicle. Much like high end tile, gold fixtures etc. in a house. The vehicle has to have all parts working to support value. Policy is priced based on perceived value of vehicle in stock condition, often excluding upgrades and non-oem parts, including sound systems, performance items etc. I have seen where toppers on a pick up truck were excluded from settlement because they were added later.
If you disagree you must find your own comps. to discredit theirs. Most claims people just want to get it settled and move on. They do have to justify their actions to keep their jobs.
As noted in article stated value still has to be confirmed before claim is paid.
Agreed value policies may require appraisals, physical inspections and other information to substantiate "agreed" value. While I do not pretend to underwrite insurance it is my understanding that policy pricing is based on the value agreed and confirmed. There is no free lunch on these policies.
There are exceptions to every case, again, hope yours works out.
P.S. again,
For the record all my policies on my personal stuff are ACV policies, I self insure for the difference. In the case of the Biscayne I would probably be $25000.00 short of what I have in it parts, labor and purchase. Not much of the problem on the Camaro. Trailblazer or the Coach. They are stock and my investment is consistent with their value.
Tools, equipment and parts in storage building are subject to a policy limit in place when the policy was underwritten.
Karl
-- Edited by more ambition than brains on Monday 22nd of August 2016 12:03:48 PM
-- Edited by more ambition than brains on Monday 22nd of August 2016 07:32:07 PM
-- Edited by more ambition than brains on Monday 22nd of August 2016 07:34:12 PM