Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback

[1967 'cuda]

I had an 'old timer' house builder stop by the other day and his advise was pretty much the same on drywall finishing that you guys have given me. The last few days were busy with house guests and working on my uncle's computer. I'm hoping the next few will be more productive.

The new 'fake tin' ceiling tiles for the dining room should arrive Monday. With any luck I'll have the sanding done this weekend and maybe get some paint on those walls.

I'd thought I was done with car shows for this year but one of the guys that had set up the Omaha Mopar show invited me to attend an all Mopar car show/charity event in Columbus to be held later this month. It's to raise money for a little girl's medical expenses so I'll try to take a few cars down.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I had to run out to the farm yesterday to pick up some supplies. We were broken into again. Over $1000 worth of new insulation stolen and I'm not sure what all else. I returned today and saw they broke in again. Must have been after I'd left last night. Locks don't keep the thieves out. - The more secure I try to make the property, - the more damage they do breaking in. I've given up on reporting to the Sheriff's department. After finding out they weren't bothering to file reports on past thefts, it seems like a waste of time. They seem to be too busy focusing on minor traffic violations to expend any energy elsewhere.

 

[jaws]

Looks like it's time to spend a night or two out there with mister shot gun. By farm I assume you have plenty of room the bury the evidence.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Looks like it's time to spend a night or two out there with mister shot gun. By farm I assume you have plenty of room the bury the evidence.

After my last post Teresa and I did head back to the farm. It was after 9:30 at night and was already dark. I figured that might be a good time to check on things.

When I'd stopped at the farm in the a.m. I saw that someone had removed the nails from the back door that held it shut and left the front door open after breaking a window to gain access. I propped a bunch of lumber against the rear door and secured the front door as well as I could with another lock and piled building supplies in front of it on the porch.

Teresa and I did a quick inspection and didn't see anything changed from earlier in the day. - But we noticed that they'd disabled our yard light. - Either shot it out or broke it by some other means.

We waited in the dark with the lights off and car shut off. After a half hour I saw headlights coming towards us about a half mile away. Like a dummy, I opened the door to get a better look. The dome lights came on and wouldn't shut off because it has a delay circuit in it. The vehicle stopped and turned around before it came past our place.

We weren't sure if we'd been seen. One thing we speculated was that someone might have dropped off somebody else that could still be walking towards us through the cornfield. About 10 minutes later Teresa thought she'd spotted a light in the field 60 yards away - possibly from a cell phone. We waited another 5 minutes, started the car and drove towards where she'd seen the light.

Nothing.

We sped out of the driveway in the direction we'd seen that vehicle turn around.

Still nothing.

When I returned I looked for signs of footprints. I couldn't see any but the grass in the ditch adjacent to the field looked trampled.

We gave up and came back home. If there really was someone out there we may have scared them off. If not, there's a good chance they'll hit our place some time like 3 a.m. Most likely we'd fall asleep waiting.

On the drive back we discussed what to do. Teresa suggested a bunch of lumber with nails in it - nail side up hidden in the grass. I thought maybe barbed wire too.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Unwinding in the garage tonight. - Having trouble sleeping with all the worries about the thefts. Sooner or later I'll be bankrupt.

- Came across this version of 'When the Levee Breaks'...

 

[Abodybomber]

Unwinding in the garage tonight. - Having trouble sleeping with all the worries about the thefts. Sooner or later I'll be bankrupt.

- Came across this version of 'When the Levee Breaks'...

https://youtu.be/xH-_9cwdLug

Damn,you are getting the worst,from all sides.. Have you thought about a neighborhood watch,or at least some good watchdogs? Sounds like more, than just pure irony...

 

[66340SEDAN]

Fukers.........a man works hard to get bye and $hit like this rains down......I wish you the best and they will get whats comin'

 

[famous bob]

Fukers.........a man works hard to get bye and $hit like this rains down......I wish you the best and they will get whats comin'

load a magazine full of rock salt (12 ga. shells, spend the nights until they come back. the rock salt will prove you didn`t intend to kill them-" no murder charges". let them have all of it and don't feel sorry for them! enough is enough. wont take but one time, they`ll always wonder from now on if your there. take someone w/ you too. :violent2:

 

[1967 'cuda]

Damn,you are getting the worst,from all sides.. Have you thought about a neighborhood watch,or at least some good watchdogs? Sounds like more, than just pure irony...

Fukers.........a man works hard to get bye and $hit like this rains down......I wish you the best and they will get whats comin'

load a magazine full of rock salt (12 ga. shells, spend the nights until they come back. the rock salt will prove you didn`t intend to kill them-" no murder charges". let them have all of it and don't feel sorry for them! enough is enough. wont take but one time, they`ll always wonder from now on if your there. take someone w/ you too. :violent2:

Once again I appreciate the empathy you guys have expressed. Sometimes it's hard to put on a happy face and ignore the **** storm. I hate becoming one of those people that whine about everything and I know that there are a lot of folks that have things much worse. - But I often feel as though I'm being pushed towards a precipice and I'll soon be teetering on the edge. I suppose that everyone that's been robbed has that uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomachs that makes their world seem insecure. To go through it time after time tends to drain the joy from you.

It may sound sad but FABO is one of the refuges I have turned to - to unload. When the world starts looking dark it's good to hear that maybe there are guys out there that do give a damn about someone else's plight.

I've joked about 'turning dark' and exploring my evil side. I'm not going to turn into one of those whack jobs that would harm anyone else but sometimes I wish that the a holes out there would think I was someone to think twice about messing with. Instead I feel like I'm easy pickings for them.

I do apologize to the folks out there that have things worse. I may not have always responded to the threads that have described other's misfortunes but I've always felt sorry for the crap they've gone through and often felt anger towards the one's that put them through it.

 

[SNKEBIT]

John, it's not easy getting over getting robbed. You feel violated. Takes time.
I would not wait for the thieves without proper weaponry. You never know who is carrying what these days. Chances are they are just kids, but you never know.
I like the rock salt idea. Except I would wait inside the house. It's amazing what "click-click" sounds like in the dark...........:twisted:

 

[1967 'cuda]

John, it's not easy getting over getting robbed. You feel violated. Takes time.

I would not wait for the thieves without proper weaponry. You never know who is carrying what these days. Chances are they are just kids, but you never know.
I like the rock salt idea. Except I would wait inside the house. It's amazing what "click-click" sounds like in the dark...........:twisted:

I doubt that it's kids screwing around. Most kids wouldn't knock out a yard light or steal all that insulation. I'm hesitant to speak about using firepower in case things go south. I wouldn't want to be accused of having planned to shoot someone. IF I am armed, it'll be for self defense. There is a good chance that they may be armed too. With all the thefts in the area they must have a routine that keeps them from getting caught. - Probably some look outs with cell phones. Most likely whoever is out there doing this stuff is not alone.

 

[sireland67]

Put some game cameras up at the farm, if you catch somebody out there give the pictures to the state police, screw the locals since they dont seem to be doing their job.

The road going into your place stick a bunch of 2x6 with nails in them on the road, dig a small ditch and cover the board up. I assume the road is gravel.
Put it in a place where you can drive around it.
Check the place every morning, hard to drive with a couple of flat tires.

 

[sireland67]

Also game camera's are cheap put a few of them up.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Put some game cameras up at the farm, if you catch somebody out there give the pictures to the state police, screw the locals since they dont seem to be doing their job.

The road going into your place stick a bunch of 2x6 with nails in them on the road, dig a small ditch and cover the board up. I assume the road is gravel.
Put it in a place where you can drive around it.
Check the place every morning, hard to drive with a couple of flat tires.

Teresa has been suggesting the same thing. Our driveway is grass covered so we'd either have to hide them in the grass or blade the drive first. My son brought back one of those tire puncturing strips when he returned from Iraq. The military was going to leave it behind. It'd be sort of hard to hide though. We thought about having a bunch of nail strips throughout the yard that could be stepped on too along with trip wires and barbed wire. They might be hard to spot in the dark. - Not sure of the legal ramifications if someone got hurt...

 

[1967 'cuda]

Also game camera's are cheap put a few of them up.

There's been a few guys that have had cameras out that have had them stolen or destroyed even though they were supposed to have been hidden. It makes me wonder if they've got some form of device that detects electronics. One guy did have a camera that caught an image of his break in but said it was too grainy to identify the crooks or their vehicle plates. All he could tell was that they had a pickup truck.

I'm still convinced that there's a group using cell phones to alert one another and avoid getting caught. I thought about trying to get a signal blocker set up on the yard to prevent communication. - But if the crooks are able to detect electronic equipment they'd find it.

It could be that they aren't using anything to avoid detection but it's hard to believe that they haven't caught anyone yet after 100s of thefts in this county. One person told me they suspected the police radio dispatcher might be involved in aiding them. The guy wasn't the most reliable source, - sort of a paranoid conspiracy nut, but who knows? Stranger things have happened.

And the more this stuff happens, - the more paranoid I become.

 

[Abodybomber]

There's been a few guys that have had cameras out that have had them stolen or destroyed even though they were supposed to have been hidden. It makes me wonder if they've got some form of device that detects electronics. One guy did have a camera that caught an image of his break in but said it was too grainy to identify the crooks or their vehicle plates. All he could tell was that they had a pickup truck.

I'm still convinced that there's a group using cell phones to alert one another and avoid getting caught. I thought about trying to get a signal blocker set up on the yard to prevent communication. - But if the crooks are able to detect electronic equipment they'd find it.

It could be that they aren't using anything to avoid detection but it's hard to believe that they haven't caught anyone yet after 100s of thefts in this county. One person told me they suspected the police radio dispatcher might be involved in aiding them. The guy wasn't the most reliable source, - sort of a paranoid conspiracy nut, but who knows? Stranger things have happened.

And the more this stuff happens, - the more paranoid I become.

Depending,on square footage & location.. To me: Sounds like someone really wants your property, and is unscrupulous about standards to get it... In California, " eminent domain " is the generic name ,here. A group of people get together, & hire a good class action lawyer team.. (Our family 's case: A golf course gated community, wanted our property.. ( Better road for the gated community, plus already limited water resources rights..) We defeated it, through community process... ( Sure reminder,of yours.. IMO..)

 

[1967 'cuda]

Depending,on square footage & location.. To me: Sounds like someone really wants your property, and is unscrupulous about standards to get it... In California, " eminent domain " is the generic name ,here. A group of people get together, & hire a good class action lawyer team.. (Our family 's case: A golf course gated community, wanted our property.. ( Better road for the gated community, plus already limited water resources rights..) We defeated it, through community process... ( Sure reminder,of yours.. IMO..)

When they went after our property in Rising City it didn't make much sense to me. Other houses further in need of repair weren't targeted and we'd made several improvements. I had actually suspected we were being singled out because there is a huge vacant lot next to it and it might have given someone the opportunity to acquire a half city block.

The current theft problems are on our family farm. I know the person that bought our farmland would like to get ownership of it but he's not the type of person that would resort to criminal means.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I REALLY REALLY suck at slinging drywall mud. It became apparent when it came time to sand. One guy that is a retired house builder came over and had a look of horror on his face when he saw the amount of work it was going to take to sand it all down. The joints should all turn out OK but I have to get more conservative with applying compound.

I did manage to put up another one of those fake tin ceilings in the dining room. So far it's looking pretty good and (thank God) at least I didn't have to finish those ceiling drywall seams.

The dining room had plate rails around the perimeter. I've lowered them a few feet and am planning on widening the tops to 8" instead of the 4" width they were. Not too many people display plates anymore so I want to use them as shelves for plants and nick-naks instead.

I built a shelf in the pantry room that will be over the computer desk. It should match the woodwork on the cabinets on the opposite wall.

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[1967 'cuda]

I got a call from HemiDenny the other day. He's ready to ship the new K-member for the Charger project. I sent off the $$ so it should be coming soon.

We've been continuing to monitor the farm for signs of further tampering. It takes up about a half hour each day to drive out there and check things over. We spent a few nights hiding out of sight but no one showed. Most likely they'll hit us again. We can't watch the place 24/7.

I'm running out of steam on the house project. Each day we make progress but I'm inefficient and things are taking longer than they should.

I finally got the last of the top kitchen cabinets hung.

The counter top for the bar is a slightly different pattern than the rest of the counter tops. The old pattern wasn't available anymore.

I got some paint on the dining room walls. We are still stripping and refinishing the old plate rails and the rest of the woodwork.

The pantry and mud rooms are painted too. I want to purchase a TV/computer monitor to mount on the wall above the desk yet.

Today's garage music.

[ame]


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[jaws]

The house is looking good, one step at a time. Oh, good music also, one of my favorites.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Thanks jaws. I'm suffering from serious car withdrawal. Maybe when the new K-member shows up I can get my fix.

 

[1967 'cuda]

The fund-raiser benefit car show in Columbus, Nebraska is tomorrow. When I went to load up the Duster on the trailer I saw that I had a flat trailer tire. It's a bad valve stem. This is the 5th time I've had to replace a valve stem on the trailer since we bought it. What in the heck is eating these things? They are cracking where the large end is seating against the inside of the rims.

 

[sireland67]

Are they stamped steel rims.
If so most likely they have a sharp edge on them.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Are they stamped steel rims.

If so most likely they have a sharp edge on them.

Aluminum. They charged me almost 20 bucks to replace the valve stem this time. I asked them to check for defects. They said they didn't find anything wrong but they did install a shorter stem this time.

 

[sireland67]

Aluminum. They charged me almost 20 bucks to replace the valve stem this time. I asked them to check for defects. They said they didn't find anything wrong but they did install a shorter stem this time.

My guess is the manufacture of the stems.
Rubber from India or China is vastly behind modern country's.