Stripped 69 at auction

[Coralsnake]

Thanks for the update

Cant wait to hear what comes of it

[CompRed70scj]

Best of luck - while it’s abundantly clear that someone did something nefarious here, it’s clear that person was not you. Thanks for sharing your side of the story and helping set the record straight.

[SCJSTU]

Hey everyone, I was notified about the possibility of this engine being stolen by one of your forum members. I am the seller of this engine.  I have a bill of sale for the motor from August 23, 2023. It was sold to me at the Pomona swap meet. It's a well known car meet so ignore the swap meet part of it, it's just the name. I have reached out to my lawyer this morning for him to do his research to make sure I own this motor legally. My understanding of property law as it pertains to cars is that if a part was sold and then months later claimed to be "stolen" to an insurance for monetary gains, then the lie falls on the owner of the vehicle for lying for profit which is fraud on their behalf and nothing for me to worry about. My lawyer stated and agreed with me that if my purchase was before it was reported stolen then I own it legally. My lawyer is one of the top lawyers in our city and he said he has a contact in the local pd who can clarify for him when it was reported. Once this matter is cleared up it will be for sale again if anyone here is interested. The backstory I was given if anyone cares is that the owner decided to restore the car and restomod it with a 7.3 Godzilla motor so they had no need for this engine. Will keep you guys updated.

I would start by trying to re unite the engine with the car it came from as it's a highly collectible car and the original engine is very important........seeing a picture of the car before it was stripped I would question why someone would want to restomod a nice car

[98SVT - was 06GT]

I would question why someone would want to restomod a nice car

Selling price. There are a lot of deep pockets at BJ every year willing to drop $250-400K on their teenage dream car with a modern driveline. A GT500 Restomod will bring a lot more $$ than one with aftermarket FG, non matching engine/trans & repro parts. Sure you can source originals but when you get done your cost will exceed value.

[SGT.SNAKE]

Very disheartening. Last car I purchased like this was a 2000 Integra type r, and as it turned out, it was an insurance job! Now, all those parts that weren't recovered, they're still listed as stolen. The body/chassis was recovered but the parts were out and about, so receiving stolen property by any means can bring about forfeiture of goods; whether you pay one-dollar or one-million. Imagine a tag team duo. They could easily set that up collecting both engine back and walking away with the cash. EEEEK 

[SteveSDB]

Hello again to everyone, so my lawyer got back to me in regards to the motor. After speaking to his local contact at lapd, who wouldn't give him exact dates due to legal reasons but did say that the car was reported stolen in late November and found within a week of being reported. They mentioned that as far as the engine goes, to keep proof of the bill of sale just in case as it proves it was sold before the car was stolen. As far as their investigation goes, they mentioned since the car is recovered their investigation is closed. The police officers commented that the sale months prior would make that transaction legal and it was not their problem or job to investigate it. They mentioned that if the car was still reported stolen in the system and not recovered, it would be another story, but since the car is recovered, their investigation is closed. Basically what the owner did is not their problem, that's between them and their insurance. Based on this information, my lawyer gave me the ok to continue with my sale as I own it legally. To address the other concerns to reunite the engine and the car, it's difficult for me to do that. I'm not going to hire an investigator to trace the buyer. If it was sold in February it's barely getting to the owner in Dubai. If they find the listing they are more than welcome to reach out. I personally don't have the time to pursue it myself as I have my businesses to run. The engine is up for sale again, if anyone is interested, my number is 818-381-9105. Thanks, Steve

[shelbymann1970]

What is also interesting is how could they prove your engine was even in a car that is over a half century old even if the dates aligned where the engine was sold after the car was stolen. On a new car yep but unless there is actual proof the car contained it's original engine for the last 50 years(it might have) I'd think it would be hard to prove but, hey, I'm not a lawyer. Maybe one of the ones here can chime in. I think if the insurance company gets wind of this situation the owner of the car could be in for some big legal problems.

[SteveSDB]

Yes my lawyer said the same thing, can't prove it's the same motor that was in the car at the time of the theft as you have 60 years of history to track and confirm for it to even fall on the owner. I have been reached out to by someone who I believe is the owner. I don't think they want to outright say it as they want the motor as cheap as possible because if they knew I knew they need this motor then there would be no reason for me to go down at all knowing they would more than likely pay my full asking price. It would be cool if the car got its original motor back.