Ed's Grand National is home! part 1

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LS1GN

G-Body Guru
Aug 7, 2011
600
8
0
Central Florida
Hey guys,

My friend Ed's GN is back in his garage tonight. Let me catch everyone up to speed on what went down.
PART 1
Ed picked up this GN in about 1999 or 2000. (He alwyas wanted one. His uncle had an '84 or '85 T-Type when we were in high school and he let us run up to the store ONE time in it and we were both hooked.) Anyway, Ed got this 1987 Grand National from an older guy who owned it for a couple/few years and didn't really drive it and did not really maintain it.

Ed spent 2001-2002 just getting it running right and getting it registered and on the road. He replaced the turbo, valve springs, re-did the exhaust, changed all fluids, injectors and did new brakes on all 4 corners. He took it to a shop for front end work, tires and an alignment, etc etc etc.

In 2003 he left it with the bodyshop and it received tons of bodywork, a couple rust spots were cut out and patched with new steel, door was straightened, new body fillers, and the car got a gorgeous, awesome black paint job. I think the bodyshop tab was $4000 something. The paint was perfect, beautiful, flawless. The shop had a team of guys wet sanding the car and the paint turned out better than factory.

In 05 or 06 (can't remember) he had all the seats re upholstered. The back seat didn't need it really, but he wanted all the fabric to match and he also got new carpet. This was a gorgeous GN that was about as close to 100% as you could get.

Well, you all know that the "economic downturn" hurt all of us, and Ed's drywall business suffered. He was thinking about selling the GN but he was going to lose a lot of coin so he decided to keep it. He let the insurance expire and the registration and tag lapse. The car sat in his garage most of the time except for when he would occasionally run it around the neighborhood or wash it in the driveway.
 

LS1GN

G-Body Guru
Aug 7, 2011
600
8
0
Central Florida
Re: Ed's Grand National is home! PART 2

Now the details of what happened next are sketchy. Ed and his wife were having some marriage/money problems and we weren't really hanging around much in 07-08. I just stayed away if you know what I mean.

Ed says that there was this gangster type guy in his neighborhood who was always watcing him when he would cruise around the block. He says this guy stopped at the house on two different occasions while ed was washing the GN or cleaning out the garage or whatever) and asked tons of questions about the car. Later, that gangster guy's parents got forclosed on and they had to move out in the Summer of 2009.

Then Tammy (Ed's wife) says they have to have this BIG garage sale to sell a bunch of stuff to pay the bills. Ed parks his truck, his wife's Camry and the Grand Nat'l out on the street (down a little to leave places for people to park). It is June 27th. You know what happens next.

The garage sale gets busy, they are making money, loading stuff in people's cars. etc He sees the gangster guy coming to the garage sale but it is super busy, he's going inside to get a cool drink etc etc. At about 12:30 or 1:00 Ed realizes his keys are gone and yep - the car is gone.

Long story short, they called the cops, the cops take forever to get there, they ask him if he missed any payments (its paid for!) FINALLY fill out a report and tell him to call his insurance company. The car's VIN goes in the national crime database thing. He asks them to put out an APB or something and the cop says they dont do that "for older cars"!!!!!

I tell them to see if their homeowner's insurance will cover it (nope) and of course, his car insurance is lapsed 2 years or something. He is excited about recovering the car for the first few days but after a month or so he gives up hope.
 

LS1GN

G-Body Guru
Aug 7, 2011
600
8
0
Central Florida
Re: Ed's Grand National is home! part 3

PART 3

At first, Ed is checking Ebay VINs and going to car shows checking Grand National VINs and even following guys he sees in Grand Nationals with his beat out Ford Ranger (the drywall business closed).

That was three years ago. He has started to forget about the GN. Sad story.

UNTIL TWO WEEKS AGO :) !!!!!

Ed gets a cryptic, weird phone call from a dispatcher from the Dallas County Sheriff's Office in Texas. Something about your car has an expired tag that doesn't match blah blah blah. The person driving was taken to jail on a warrant for something unrelated. If you want your car you have to pay the impound fees and the citation for the tag. He says "I don't even live in Texas and I don't know what youre talking about!" He was just about to hang up when the lady says "1987 Buick"
They didn't have a record of the car as stolen!!!!! He has to fax them the original police report and they can enter it in the database and can waive the fees! He now needs to know how to get the car back home. Is it damaged? They don't know Does it drive? They dont know. Does it run? They dont know. Ed takes a Greyhound bus to Texas to get his car. He is stoked! Will his keys work? Will he get stopped with no license plate? Lots of questions are going through his head.
 

LS1GN

G-Body Guru
Aug 7, 2011
600
8
0
Central Florida
Re: Ed's Grand National is home! PART 4

Ed finds this impound lot near Arlington or somewhere and doesn't see his car. The guy at the window is not cooperating. FINALLY he gets in and walks out towards where is is supposed to be. The funny thing is he sees an 80s Regal Donk, but thats it. He stars to shake and cry. HIS KEY FITS THE DOOR TO THE DONK. IT IS BRIGHT METALLIC GREEN, REALLY BRIGHT GREEN. IT HAS 20 INCH RIMS ON IT. IT HAS LIMO TINT AND THE INTERIOR IS WHITE LEATHER!!!!!!! THERE ARE TONS OF SPEAKERS ALL IN THE DOORS, PACKAGE SHELF AND WHERE THE BACK SEAT USED TO BE!!!!!

The good news is that the engine seems stock and unmolested, and it seems to run well. Ed did not recognize the mug shot of the guy that was arrested who was driving, he said he "Just borrowed the car from a friend."

MY buddy Ed has a LOT of work to do on his car.
 

chevy2480

Royal Smart Person
Apr 28, 2010
1,245
6
38
williamstown nj 08094
Well my eyes hurt now. Lol
Its amazing after all the time that has went buy that it even still exist. Just ashame the jacked it all up.
 
Nov 4, 2012
5,998
12,671
113
Oh boy. Ed has some work to do. I've gotten made fun of a couple times by guys in gtos and roadrunners tellin me my car is gonna be something in the likeness of what you describe- green, white pillow leather, 20-30" rims, lifted, speakers everywhere. "My car is not a damn parade float from Mexico" is normally how I reply.
 

Hoopty_Mike

Greasemonkey
Aug 5, 2012
146
68
28
CT
That was a good read, it's nice to hear about people getting their cars back. Any pictures of the "damage"? At least he can sell a lot of that crap and get it back to where he likes it. Also nice to know they didn't part it out.
 

Evan11

Royal Smart Person
Apr 17, 2009
1,259
10
38
Southern Indiana
Glad he got it back, hopefully he'll be able to find what he needs to get it back to "normal"
 

LS1GN

G-Body Guru
Aug 7, 2011
600
8
0
Central Florida
Ed's Grand National update

Ed has registered and insured the car. He can't get the stereo to work, and the front tires rub when he turns sharply, but otherwise all is good. He says he has been getting a lot of compliments on the car!

I told him I am not riding in it until he changes it back, he says I won't be riding in it ....at least for a little while. :blam: :blam:
 
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