How many times have you been ripped of in a car or parts deal???

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Brooks James

VET, CPT, Huey Medevac Pilot
FABO Gold Member
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Most memorable was a time when I bought a car AFB it looked great and when I got home and opened it up apparently he just dumped a whole carburetor and carburetor cleaner and there was a thick brown residue on the inside When other time I bought some brand new Corvette valve springs and I took him down to the machine shop to have them installed and the car would not rev up I would not rev past 4800 RPM it turned out that he had swapped my brand new valve springs for a cheap *** set he had in the shop
 
I have been burned a couple times, however I will say that at least in part I was to blame. I should have simply walked away and listened to the old "spidey senses" instead of trying to rationalize or accept the excuses. In one instance my wife got involved in the deal and threw me somewhat under the bus, but had I simply walked away in the first place that would not have happened.
 
Most memorable was a time when I bought a car AFB it looked great and when I got home and opened it up apparently he just dumped a whole carburetor and carburetor cleaner and there was a thick brown residue on the inside When other time I bought some brand new Corvette valve springs and I took him down to the machine shop to have them installed and the car would not rev up I would not rev past 4800 RPM it turned out that he had swapped my brand new valve springs for a cheap *** set he had in the shop

Used turbo 350 that I named turbo slide
 
In the realm of buying used parts, "IT'S BUYER BEWARE". Now, it's easy to call someone out with the internet & social media but years back this wasn't the case. I'd say that 99.9% of the deals I've done have worked out well, but that's due to the fact that I do a TON of research & ask many, many questions of the seller. I learned at a very young age not to take things at face value & to pay attention to my intuition. I've walked deals because something didn't ring true in the description or pictures.
 
Most memorable was a time when I bought a car AFB it looked great and when I got home and opened it up apparently he just dumped a whole carburetor and carburetor cleaner and there was a thick brown residue on the inside When other time I bought some brand new Corvette valve springs and I took him down to the machine shop to have them installed and the car would not rev up I would not rev past 4800 RPM it turned out that he had swapped my brand new valve springs for a cheap *** set he had in the shop
Funny you say ,I just dropped a forged steel 340 crank off to get ground 10/10 under. i write down the numbers off the forging and took pictures:)

i had that crank for 25 plus years, i remember years ago I walked into a machine shop with it, and the guy was like "you can turn it in as a core" I said "Am I getting a forged crank back?" the guy was like "duhhhhh" I said "Yeah..ah NO" i am hoping I make out on this currrent deal. i had the 340 laying around in parts for years,just now sinking the $$$ in to put it back together. But yeah these places are shysters. A friend has an old 70s ouboard yacht. he took the propeller in to a shop for something,and he never got it back. He put another on the boat and he says it doesnt run well because of the incorrect propeller on the outboard. the shop told him they "lost it"
 
I found a away to foil the switch by shops. I engrave the last 4 digits of my SSN & the last 4 of my DL in inconspicuous areas of parts I drop off & I take pictures. I check for those numbers when my stuff is returned. If my numbers aren't there, I break out the pictures & we have a discussion. I've only have one machine shop get over on me & it involved a high dollar set of ported & polished cylinder heads. We had a good old fashioned fist fight before I left & had him arrested for theft & assault. I never got the heads back, but his business didn't survive much longer, either. The arrest was written up in the local paper & was on the local news. From there, a lot of hobbyists, local hot rodders, & racers avoided his shop. The shop folded within two months of the incident & he disappeared for parts unknown. Someone told me he passed away not long ago. Good riddance to thieves!
 
I've been buying and selling Mopar parts since 1984 . Been screwed a lot . It's part of the learning process . Tip : never , never buy anything sight unseen , ever !
 
Got screwed over a time or two in the past, when i sold parts on ebay.
One "buyer" put in a complaint that i send him and empty box, and no parts.
I had the postal receipt that stated package weighed in at XXXX pound, and if i sent an empty box, would only weigh a very few ounces.
Pay Pal sided with the buyer, and the seller, me, got screwed out of 75 dollars, that they took out of my account.
 
Got screwed over a time or two in the past, when i sold parts on ebay.
One "buyer" put in a complaint that i send him and empty box, and no parts.
I had the postal receipt that stated package weighed in at XXXX pound, and if i sent an empty box, would only weigh a very few ounces.
Pay Pal sided with the buyer, and the seller, me, got screwed out of 75 dollars, that they took out of my account.
Had something like that happen to me long ago, sold a Dart fender and shipped it, buyer claimed it never arrived, but I had a proof of delivery, signed by them.
 
Got screwed over a time or two in the past, when i sold parts on ebay.
One "buyer" put in a complaint that i send him and empty box, and no parts.
I had the postal receipt that stated package weighed in at XXXX pound, and if i sent an empty box, would only weigh a very few ounces.
Pay Pal sided with the buyer, and the seller, me, got screwed out of 75 dollars, that they took out of my account.
BEWARE SELLING ON EBAY
I know a few guys that make their living selling stuff on eBay, and a common scam thieves employ is to have something exactly like you’re selling that’s already broken. When they receive the good item you sell them, they put their busted item in your shipping box and claim it was defective when they opened it.
Take pictures, make notes, engrave numbers, whatever you have to do to identify what you’re selling or eBay will return your money to the buyer.
 
I’ve been screwed by a machine shop once. I bought a brand new Ed Hamburger forged 340 crank. It had a stain on it that u couldn’t feel. I asked for their opinion. They said they could polish it out. So I said ok. They turned it cause they said it was out of round. My buddy took a forged 340 crank in to be turned. They sent him a 318 cast crank back. Kim
 
One on here....bought a aluminum radiator....and never got it...apparently the guy had someone in the family ship it...and i think it came back to him....and he never resent it or refunded the money....
guy was in Michigan....first name was Ron I think..
 
There was a guy in Minnesota that was selling short blocks and engines on Ebay....I bought a 360 short block from him...paid and never got it.....But the asshole pissed off too many people we contact the local police department. I talked to a detective and she gave me an email address to send all documentation on the transaction....I had a copy of the cashier check...

short story....His *** went to jail...and over a few years I got my money back...
 
That reminds me of a thread/story I read on here i think. Someone bought an engine I think and got shipped a crate of rocks?? Anyone remember that story?
There was a guy in Minnesota that was selling short blocks and engines on Ebay....I bought a 360 short block from him...paid and never got it.....But the asshole pissed off too many people we contact the local police department. I talked to a detective and she gave me an email address to send all documentation on the transaction....I had a copy of the cashier check...

short story....His *** went to jail...and over a few years I got my money back...
 
Most memorable was a time when I bought a car AFB it looked great and when I got home and opened it up apparently he just dumped a whole carburetor and carburetor cleaner and there was a thick brown residue on the inside When other time I bought some brand new Corvette valve springs and I took him down to the machine shop to have them installed and the car would not rev up I would not rev past 4800 RPM it turned out that he had swapped my brand new valve springs for a cheap *** set he had in the shop
To many lol
 
One incident comes to mind here for me. It’s about 2 brothers, whom I did work for that did not pay me. They were supposed to recip my work by working on my car in return, which of course never happened. My usual MO is this, I don’t get into people for more than $1k, so when I was at that amount, which included spending some of my own money, my labor, using my truck and trailer to drive to their house, drive to the lumber yard and pick up the material and pay for it out of my pocket, and some parts thrown in that they wanted, when it came time to do their end of the bargain, you guessed it, they never lifted as much as a finger to do their part. Then, they have the audacity to try to turn the situation on me and say I did a crappy job, and that the posts I installed were tweaked out of shape. Yea, after 4 years and no further work to tie them together, those things happen. Oh yea, and they’re members here, or at least they were. Haven’t seen em around in awhile, but they’re busy over in FBBO. Care to answer to this, @Dodge33? And maybe you can clear up the deal with John about the car I bought from him that you still have.
 
One incident comes to mind here for me. It’s about 2 brothers, whom I did work for that did not pay me. They were supposed to recip my work by working on my car in return, which of course never happened. My usual MO is this, I don’t get into people for more than $1k, so when I was at that amount, which included spending some of my own money, my labor, using my truck and trailer to drive to their house, drive to the lumber yard and pick up the material and pay for it out of my pocket, and some parts thrown in that they wanted, when it came time to do their end of the bargain, you guessed it, they never lifted as much as a finger to do their part. Then, they have the audacity to try to turn the situation on me and say I did a crappy job, and that the posts I installed were tweaked out of shape. Yea, after 4 years and no further work to tie them together, those things happen. Oh yea, and they’re members here, or at least they were. Haven’t seen em around in awhile, but they’re busy over in FBBO. Care to answer to this, @Dodge33? And maybe you can clear up the deal with John about the car I bought from him that you still have.
Yeah the small numbers showing likes vs posts tell a story
 
Got ripped off by a Mopar engine builder. Contracted him to build a 440 for me. Shipped him a bunch of my parts. I had a bunch of questions regarding the build and he immediately got insulted and canceled the deal. Kept my parts, even had the balls to post a video of it running on his eBay ad for the engine. I made the comments public on his Google review, Facebook review, and YouTube and he sent me a threat letter to sue. I left my comments up and nothing happened. He is a thief and that is all there is to it.
 
It’s only getting worse out there. I’ve had parts taken from my storage. I had a car taken from my acreage when I moved off. I hope all these unscrupulous ppl get theirs in the end. Kim
 
Got ripped off by a Mopar engine builder. Contracted him to build a 440 for me. Shipped him a bunch of my parts. I had a bunch of questions regarding the build and he immediately got insulted and canceled the deal. Kept my parts, even had the balls to post a video of it running on his eBay ad for the engine. I made the comments public on his Google review, Facebook review, and YouTube and he sent me a threat letter to sue. I left my comments up and nothing happened. He is a thief and that is all there is to it.
I hope you filed a police report for theft against him.
 
Cars, FBBO twice :mad: .. '68 Coronet and '67 Coronet.. think I would learn after first buy without seeing, but nope. Blasted the one guy on the site, second I couldn't because he didn't advertise the car on the site. Neither were as great as they had SWORN to be. Needed work I didn't know of and didn't want. Fixed both quickly and sold them for a small loss because didn't want them around. Some people can suck when it comes to $$$$
 
I hope you filed a police report for theft against him.

I contacted his local sheriffs office and they wouldn't do anything. I had a nice member here willing to stop and get my parts but I didn't want any issues to arise for the member.
 
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