My Comanche was stolen

[Burke]

I think this may be my 2nd post on here, I have read tons of helpful tips & advice and found it to be a very helpful place.

 

I do want to share a video of my truck being stolen, I'm doing this to show how quickly this guy got away and to perhaps suggest (if you haven't already) securing your MJ with a hidden cut-off switch or some other low tech protection.

 

 

The end result is he torched it, I have yet to see it since it has been impounded as evidence, I'm hopefull I can at least recover the D44, tail lights & near perfect tailgate. Truck had just over 350,000 kilometres, and thanks to this site ran top notch.

[JeepsOLot]

That sucks, bro!! I hope to hell they catch that bastard!!

 

Jerry

[Strokermjcomanche]

Kudos for having security cameras , couldn't you have locked your doors though ? Hopefully you can scavenge what good is left on the truck .

[Burke]

Kudos for having security cameras , couldn't you have locked your doors though ? Hopefully you can scavenge what good is left on the truck .

My doors weren't locked because I recently lost the only key I had -- ironically when I took it with me to get a new one cut, so yeah shame on me for it not being locked and not getting replacements... however losing the key & the truck being stolen happened in the same month, and here in the great white north we can't just walk into a Napa and get "proper" replacements.

[Strokermjcomanche]

 

 

Kudos for having security cameras , couldn't you have locked your doors though ? Hopefully you can scavenge what good is left on the truck .

My doors weren't locked because I recently lost the only key I had -- ironically when I took it with me to get a new one cut, so yeah shame on me for it not being locked and not getting replacements... however losing the key & the truck being stolen happened in the same month, and here in the great white north we can't just walk into a Napa and get "proper" replacements.

It's really a shame that you have to lock something up to keep the thieves out .id like to point out that there's been times I've forgot to lock my doors too and it only prolongs a thief breaking in . The real issue is the thief , if you find him ( you got him on video ) throw the book at him !!!

[DirtyComanche]

That sucks. Hopefully the justice system actually delivers.

[Incommando]

Locking a door will in no way stop someone who wants the vehicle. Locks keep honest people honest but do little to stop a determined thief from getting in your car.

 

Sorry to hear about your truck, OP.

[Megadan]

That sucks that it ended up getting torched. Not only was he a theif, but an A-hole to boot.  Hopefully you come out ahead with this.

My low tech anti-theft at this point is the fact that my truck is a manual.  that eliminates 95% of the population in my area from even being able to drive it.  I have a kill switch to the ignition circuit hidden somewhere in my cab as well for good measure.

[91Pioneer]

:rant:  :fs2:  :mad:  :(  :headpop:

[johnj92131]

Getting the truck stolen sucks.  Locking the door would not have made 10 seconds difference if he had a Slim Jim.  So don't worry much about that.  Main thing is nobody got hurt.  I once confronted a car thief in the process of stealing my Mustang GT.  I was lucky the thief decided to run rather than stick around.

 

My truck was stolen a few years ago when I loaned it to a friend who lived in Tijuana.  Thieves stole it right out of his driveway.  But my friend's brother in law was a Tijuana Cop.  So they found the truck with no problems, in the process of being stripped by 4 guys.  3 of them managed to get away, but they got one of the chumps.  That poor chump got 7 years in prison!  I all most felt sorry for the chump - getting 7 years for car theft seemed steep.

[500 MJ]

So where is "the great white north"?

[fiatslug87]

So where is "the great white north"?

[DirtyComanche]

So where is "the great white north"?

The land of syrup, moose, asking politely for independence, and cheap Svt-40s.

[Burke]

So can any of you please help me evaluate the value $ I have left in parts here, 1989 Comanche Pioneer Metric Ton.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see surviving:

• 5 wheels & tires
• D44 (completely new brake hardware, drums, pads, springs, hoses, wheel cylinders)
• D30 w/vac disconnect
• NP231 (hopefully not destroyed)
• BA10 (I'll assume it's value is $0.00)
• Engine is toasted (literally so also $0.00)
• Both Tail lights
• Near perfect tailgate
• Front bumper
• Rear leafs (although they are pretty bagged)
• Bucket seat mounts (may be iffy however considering new aren't available...)
• 7' Box in salvageable condition

In the garage:

• Inner rocker covers
• Good hood
• exhaust header
• 2nd set of taillights
• 2nd tailgate (needs work)

Yeah I'm probably stretching it thinking I have much value, but MJ's are not easy to find around here.

 

Thanks in advance,

Burke

[gogmorgo]

Looks like it could have been a lot worse... you still have four tires holding air. Depending on how hot they got the heat treating in the trans and t-case components could be negatively affect. There's a chance as well the fire could have gone into the shifter boot and turned the trans into an oil lamp I suppose. If you drop the fluids out and they don't look burnt they may have survived. Same for the motor, although it'll need new seals and it'll be a bugger to get all the scorched plastic off it.

The bed looks like it lost a lot of paint up by the cab, which could always be fixed, but the metal may have gotten brittle from the fire. I think I'd leave the front bumper or the seat brackets for that reason, but the bed's in pretty decent shape over all. Looks like the rest of the MJ back end stuff is all still good, which is definitely a plus, including all the metric ton stuff, less the window sticker(?).

Definitely a lot of good parts left on it. If it was mine I would try to get it back, strip it down, and then get rid of it quickly before I got too angry from looking at it.

People suck. :( Hope they caught the a$$hole.

[DirtyComanche]

I'd write off the front tires. They are time bombs if you try to use them. The D30 might need new seals and the ball joints may not last long after that. Brake calipers might not be okay either. Otherwise it should be okay. Forget the engine and Trans. The engine might be good for a core, but I wouldn't even do that given that I could get a better core for nothing. 231 might need new seals, I doubt it got hot enough to really wreck it, however they really aren't worth anything (I started throwing them out) and would find a known good one before bothering with that one.

 

So, I think you've really got a box that can be fixed, a tailgate and lights, a set of rims, a rear axle, and maybe a fuel tank and some odds and ends. Value is subjective, but I could sell that D44 for $400 easy, so I'd probably go as high as $700 or so. But I know I could use that box (I have one that had a tree fall on it).

 

Really up to you what's it's worth though.

[Minuit]

Good thing you got that slimy piece of $%#%'s face in the frame. I don't usually call people anything approaching "slimy piece of $%#%" but the situation demands it. Not much consolation considering you got to watch your truck being carted off to its doom in very clear detail. I'd write off everything in front of or at the cab. The heat damaged parts in ways that probably wouldn't be easy to notice. All the bearings and seals in the front axle, trans and T-case were likely severely overheated by the fire and won't ever be the same again. At the very least the T-case would need to be rebuilt. As gogmorgo said, check the fluid. The rear suspension and everything attached got off easy. Check the front of the bed for warping and cracking.

 

I wouldn't trust anything within about a 5-7 foot radius of the cab to ever work properly again. Bed is a big maybe if it didn't get "customized" in the front by the heat. All said, I'd say you have $500-$1000 in parts if you assume $400 for the D44 (I wouldn't pay that much unless it didn't need any work at all, but hey), $100 for the springs (they can be re-arched if someone cares enough), $50-100 for the tail lights, $50 for the wheels, $100 for the tailgate, and however much beds go for for the bed assuming it's still usable + the extra stuff you have.

 

I can't see a much better argument for garaging an MJ. These things are rare, beginning to appreciate in value, and very easy to break into what with their GM steering columns and lack of any security features whatsoever. Not that that helps if you don't have a garage, but I know mine won't be parked outside again once it gets painted.

[Megadan]

I'm a crazy optimist.  I would strip the front panels. Have it media blasted, and then bake it in a powdercoat oven at 400-425 degrees for a few hours to temper the metal.  Then go find an XJ and steal EVERYTHING for the front end.

Best idea in the world... no.  But, I'm nuts.  :yes: 

Hopefully you can find another one if that's what you want.  I would say keep the parts off of it in that case.

[Jeepman]

That sucks dude and one of the main reasons I installed my Viper two way alarm with immobilizer built in to stop a would be thief and alert me if anything is going on so I can be right there in a few seconds...

 

I'm a crazy optimist.  I would strip the front panels. Have it media blasted, and then bake it in a powdercoat oven at 400-425 degrees for a few hours to temper the metal.  Then go find an XJ and steal EVERYTHING for the front end.

 

Best idea in the world... no.  But, I'm nuts.  :yes: 

 

Hopefully you can find another one if that's what you want.  I would say keep the parts off of it in that case.

I would be thinking along these lines myself, perfect time if any to do a 97+ conversion as most of the front metal can be replaced and once all the bad is cleaned out and blasted you have a blank canvas...

[HOrnbrod]

It's been a few days now - did they find the scumbag yet? And what was his point of torching it? Most of the stolen vehicles here end up in a chop shop who pays the thief for the delivered merchandise. This clown looks like he had his own agenda........

[big66440]

Sorry for your loss, I hope the piece of $#!& thief gets what he deserves and more. :fs1:

[gogmorgo]

It's been a few days now - did they find the scumbag yet? And what was his point of torching it? Most of the stolen vehicles here end up in a chop shop who pays the thief for the delivered merchandise. This clown looks like he had his own agenda........

Can't speak for every part of this country, but out my way vehicle thefts are mostly perpetrated by joyriding teens. Victims get bagged till they get wrecked and ditched, or torched when they hit their curfew. They recognize easy and/or fun marks to steal, and keep coming back to the same ones. It got so bad our crown-corp insurance co. started requiring that "most at risk" vehicles be equipped with an immobiliser at their expense, or they wouldn't insure it. XJ's were top if the list unfortunately, with 1/6 registered in the province having been stolen at some point.

[500 MJ]

So what are some of the anti-theft devices that you guys have installed? I can understand not wanting to elaborate too much for good reason, just looking for ideas in general...

 

I'm looking at putting some switches into my ignition circuit this weekend. I have to leave my '90 in a very metropolitan area overnight sometimes, this thread has me scared...

[gogmorgo]

My MJ has nothing. I've been debating putting switches in like you say, but at the same time I don't think I'd want someone breaking in and damaging things attempting to get it started, I'd rather they just took it and hope they didn't wreck it too bad. I've thought about trying to set up a GPS tracker or something that would let me know where it was if that did happen, hopefully so it could get tracked down quickly before anything too bad happened.

[daking]

That sucks man. I'll be that guy just wanted a ride. Looked like he was walking, saw something he could hot wire, and took it. I'll bet, if it was locked, he would have moved on to the next target. I hope they catch him. 

 

To most people MJ's are just old junky iron... I know, we ALL love em, and put a larger value on them. But most just see em as old rust buckets. I doubt this guy was looking to strip it, or sell it. My guess, is he had a long walk ahead, saw a truck / jeep he knew how to hot wire, and took it. Then, when the ride was done, burn the evidence.