Win some, lose some. One I lost...

[Fantastic 57]

http://s246.photobucket.com/user/fantasticpinball/Cars/68%20GT350/story

 

There is a song that starts "Mistakes, I've made a few..." Well, I don't mind admitting that I've made a few. This one was several years back. I fell into a bit of a scam at a shop. The shop manager was taking in jobs and deposits, but apparently not passing those deposits in to the shop book keeper, much to the dismay of the owner.

The shop manager pointed out a fantastic deal on a car that I might be interested in. The car had been stripped down and the VIN removed so that it was to be sold as "Parts Only". All the parts for the car were included in the sale. Well, of course the potential was pretty good that we could find a good car that needed all the parts. Even a coupe shell with a valid VIN would do the trick. So...I laid my money down and this car ended up at the shop. 

Shortly after, the fecal mater hit the oscillating device when the shop owner wondered why none of the cars were ever leaving his shop, or paying the balance owning on the bills. The car owners started freaking out when the mechanic lean notices came in, despite the fact that the bills had been paid in full. Everybody was pointing fingers and I was left asking the sad question... "Dude, Where's my car?"

 

The shop owner said the manager took it. The manager said the owner took it. The police asked for the VIN, and I knew at that moment that I was screwed.

 

Ok, I admit I was dumb and made a mistake. So...your turn. What mistake story are you brave enough to tell?

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

I bought a Ranger pick up ,mostly parted out .took it home ,i was going to build a prerunner .It still had a 4 banger in it and i pulled it and tore it down ...Wo hoo ,it turned out to be a turbo motor as the pistons were marked turbo .Re built the motor, bolted it in and spent a bunch of money on fiberglass and new parts .I decided it was time to register it .Standing at the counter at DMV the gall behind the counter disappears for a good 30 minutes and all of a sudden some one taps me on the shoulder ...Our friendly neighbor hood CHP with a big grin on his face .turns out the pick up was reported stolen .I was lucky ...i got a bill of sale so it took the heat off me ...after spending a good 3 hours at the CHP telling my story .they turned me loose and i went straight to the dumb heffer  i bought the truck from .turns out she reported it stolen and turned it in for the insurance ,after she sold it to me !!! I explained what could happen to her for insurance fraud and making a false police report and she said ,(Wait a minute ...I have the pink slip it is your .I explained she will have to call the CHP and drop the stolen report also .After thinking for about 1 second LOL she called them and the truck was mine . ALWAYS GET AT LEAST A BILL OF SALE .Saved my butt !

[RogerC 136]

When I was stationed in Arkansas, uncle of a friend had a 68 mustang for sale.

I paid him the money and drove away in the car. The 2nd of fifteen mustangs I've owned over the years. Days and weeks went by and never received the title. In the mean time the hood flipped up on me going down the road.

I started tearing into it and discovered an original pink mustang under blue and red paint. Still hadn't received the title so I decided to dump the car. Guy who bought it never paid me all the money so I didn't give him the keys. He hot wired the car to take it but I couldn't do anything about it cause I had nothing to show ownership. Saw the car downtown one day and he had wires going from under the hood, looped over the cowl and in the door. I grabbed the wires and yanked them out. That's the last I saw of it.

[Vat69 5]

Mustakes. I've made a few.  My 69 High School stang was one I "purchased" after the previous owner (another idiot teenage friend of mine) wrecked it.  I drove it around with both motor mounts broken and the engine just laying in the frame.  The previous owners solution was to cut the ends off the fan blade so it didn't slice through the lower radiator hose with the engine sitting so low.  "There I Fixt it .com".  Side pipe exhausts were clamped to the fuel line for support. Derp!!  Hood flew up into the windshield, gas tank leaked, air shock exploded and lathed out the rear tire etc..etc..i haven't learned anything in 40 years and still have one of these death traps. LOL

[Footcutter11 23]

I got my car, and noticed it had two VIN numbers.  Uh oh.  Luckily the second VIN came back clean.  Turns out I was lucky, as someone put a 69 top on a 70 chassis, and did it right so everything was still straight and square.  It could have gone very wrong.  I consider myself extremely lucky.

[7TCatvert 24]

I bought a supposed rebuilt 1965 428 engine and transmission out of a 65 t bird. The engine was all painted real nice and detailed, new valve covers and he had it all wrapped up in plastic. Same with the transmission. That night take it out of the package and notice the intake manifold did not seem to have a new gasket and neither did the exhaust manifold which were on it. I started to sweat. I take off the intake and there is mouse house inside. Off With the valve covers just covered in sludge.

 

I am pissed...call the guy up and no answer of course. Send him an email. He writes back oh no was rebuilt 20 years ago it's been wrapped up since I don't know what you mean.

 

Paid cash of course so no recourse. Take it into my machinist tell him to tear it down and see if it is salvageable.

 

A week later I get a call from the engine guy...Good news and bad news. Bad news, engine needs a rebuild but only one cylinder wall is really bad. The heads are need a rebuild, the manifolds are cracked and don't match the engine.

 

 

Good news the engine is a 70 428 cobra jet. Never been bored...holy crap I guess the t birds engine blew and they replaced it with a 428cj out of a mustang. The manifold was still from the 65 t bird and the exhaust manifolds also which is why the fit so bad.

 

So I call the guy who sold me the engine and leave him a message. The engine you sold me ended up being a 428CJ, thanks.

 

Guess what I get 5 min later, a phone call. Him explaining that I got the wrong engine, he just found the one he was supposed to sell me that was his engine. I said ok and hung up. I think he sent me an email once a day for about 2 months trying to get the engine back.

 

So now my cougar has a date correct engine, even though it came with a 351c. My engine is probably worth more that the rest of the car. When I sell it ( never) or rather when I die. The engine can go to a nice 70 r code mustang where it belongs....

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

I did a paint  job in trade for a 65 fast back ,the fast back was rough but i had enough parts to build a really nice car out of it . The guy had another fast back i wanted to buy but he said it had a brand new motor in it and he really didn't want to let it go .I do the paint job and go to pick up the car and get it home and find the 4 speed is missing  . I call the guy and ask where the 4 speed went and he says there never was a 4 speed ,Hum i guess i didnt see the shifter sticking thought floor and actually shift it the first time i looked at it ...right !! Turns out the new motor was in the fast back i got ,or so he thought because he switched them .I pulled the motor and all the gaskets looked new so i decided to pull the heads HAHAHA he forgot what car had the new motor and it was in the one he wanted to keep but he swapped it into the one i got ....Sucka !!The old reverse screw you hahah. I got the car finished and won the very first car show i went to,and guess who shows up ? I told him that he screwed up when he swapped those motors because he gave me the new one .He tells me how much the guy spent spent on that motor that he bought the cars from and i just laughed and said that is your fault for trying to pull the old switch when he couldnt remember witch one actually had the new motor .Both motors were painted up by the guy he bought the car from so he couldnt tell the difference