[pontiac poncho]

I have a 30x40 barn back behind a restaurant that I own here in Texas. When I was leaving I noticed that the light was on and a side window was open. Got to looking inside and the little bastards busted the dead bolt in, ripped out the alarm system and ransacked the entire place. This barn is crammed full with 8 foot shelfs of nothing but pontiac parts. Nice parts, like complete endura bumpers, nos hoods,nos fenders sheetmetal,shifters, consoles 4 spd, tri powers, heads, wheels, ....man I'm so freak'n pissed right now!!! I spoke with the two police officers, and the only thing they took at the moment was a radio and a set of torque thrust wheels. But when you walk inside, they had piled parts in the center of the isles all over the shop. The police said that they are setting it up to come back and take the rest....but not on my damn watch. I'm heading up there now and waiting inside with my .45 Kimber and we'll see who comes out on this! Man I'm so damn mad right now!!!!!!!!
Here is kinda an idea of what the inside looked like before.
It was probably a bunch of damn dope heads,

[LeighP]

Damn sorry to hear this....I hate thieves.
Worse part is, unless they catch these guys they'll try it again because they know all the stuff is there.
Looks like time for some serious monitored alarm......and I like your .45 idea as well.

[performerrpm]

i think the cops was right to say they were coming back awhile back i walked up to my brothers shop he had a harley apart he was building and i noticed his motor sitting by the door so i called him and asked if he put it there and he didnt so he came home and we put it back on the shelf and while he was at it he started sorting thru boxes of parts that went with it and found some parts for the motor and forgot about the reason he was going thru his stuff and put the other parts with the motor and messed around and left come home the next day it was all gone. i was rebuilding my 66 in there a few years later when after i started buying alot of hi dollar parts the car came the talk of the neiborhood by the wrong kinda people so i got it out of there. the 45 is a good idea an excellent one at that but you cant stay in there 24-7 you better find a better solution dogs or something to make some noise and an alarm

[tripower]

Best of luck finding these scum bags. If I remember right, in Texas, can't you use deadly force on your property when thiefs are stealing from you? Gotta love Texas!

[Hitman]

Who installed your alarm? In that building it should have been somewhere they could not find it. I'm thinking they ripped down your keypad? Anyway, you need to get a good outside siren and a flashing strobe. And if the main control panel is where someone can get to it easy it needs to be moved up where you have to have a 6 to 8 foot ladder. In all the shops I've ever installed in that are vacant most of the time the panel is high, outside sirens on each end with strobes. They can pull the keypad all they want, nothing happens untill the panel is pulled down and I dont make it easy. Besides it sounds like too much time delay is on the doors. In a commercial application a keypad should be within 5 feet of the door and a delay of no more than 15 seconds, thats pushing it. I hope all goes well, I bet they thought you would'nt be around for a while and they planned on coming back. Hopefully they did'nt see you or the police there and they try to come back. Even if you cant protect your property you can protect your life. "Officer, he walked in on me with something that looked like a gun in his hand."

[GT182]

Sorry to hear that, I hope you catch them Poncho.... and get them good.

[dedsleds]

SORRY TO HERE THIS. TIME FOR AN ALARM WITH SUCH A HIGH PITCH THAT IT WILL DESTROY AN EARDRUM!

[pontiac poncho]

Well, I waited and waited and my date stood me up. I was really looking forward to catching the bastards! The police did pull a print off of a wheel, and I'll know more tomorrow. The alarm wasn't the best. They pulled the siren down and ripped the keypad out of the wall. I had window opening monitors but no glass breakage ones. They busted out the window, ripped out the alarm and then kicked the crap out of the door. I guess they were going to unlock it from the inside, but they found out the locks were keyed on both sides. Another thing I couldn't figure out, I had a stack of some NOS and really nice used hoods in the corner and they knocked all of them down...don't really understand that one. The shop sits right behind my restaurant, and it's about 100 yards from a Days Inn motel. How in the hell did someone not hear this going on??? I camped out in my truck next to the hotel parking lot with a perfect view, and I'm not kidding 10 min after I showed up, the police come by and said someone in the hotel called and sayed there were 2 strange guys parked out in the parking lot? Oh well. I'm haveing a good alarm installed this week, and upgrading the doors to all steel, and expanded metal on the windows. With all this done, if they really wanted in there, they will get in there.
Thanks,
Jason

[Jim Robertson]

Poncho,
I hate to hear of your troubles. Yes we dispise theives and yes we can protect our property with deadly force. :-) I wish I could catch the sorry sobs that broke into my race car trailer last month. The scene would not be pretty. And the cops did not even bother coming out. Frustrating to say the least. Best of luck with protecting your remaining stash from the theives/dopers. Where are you located?
Jim

[Region Warrior]

I'd be stay'n in there every night till they came back.

No deadly force?
Just put tool or weapon in thier hand before the cops get there to identify the bodies

Hope they did'nt get much or come back.
Good luck.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by Hitman

Who installed your alarm? In that building it should have been somewhere they could not find it. I'm thinking they ripped down your keypad? Anyway, you need to get a good outside siren and a flashing strobe. And if the main control panel is where someone can get to it easy it needs to be moved up where you have to have a 6 to 8 foot ladder. In all the shops I've ever installed in that are vacant most of the time the panel is high, outside sirens on each end with strobes. They can pull the keypad all they want, nothing happens untill the panel is pulled down and I dont make it easy. Besides it sounds like too much time delay is on the doors. In a commercial application a keypad should be within 5 feet of the door and a delay of no more than 15 seconds, thats pushing it. I hope all goes well, I bet they thought you would'nt be around for a while and they planned on coming back. Hopefully they did'nt see you or the police there and they try to come back. Even if you cant protect your property you can protect your life. "Officer, he walked in on me with something that looked like a gun in his hand."

If I were you, I would lock that place up with killer alarm system like described by Hitman. With all that money sitting on thsoe shelves, Im surprised that wasnt the first thing you did. I probibly would have done the same thing with the thought "It'll never happen to me"..

[GT182]

I'd install the lodest siren alarm I could get . Plus with the option that all lights come on... inside and out. And an inside camera system so you know who it was doing the stealing.

And maybe a cage that drops while they're inside, with no chance of getting out. Wired to 240volts.

Or maybe, if the above is too much, a pair of meanassed Shepards that only you can handle. They're one great deterrent.

PS... I sent you a PM Poncho. And check your EBay messages... I think I sent you one on an item I'm bidding on.

[hectore3]

Might want to thing about installing a hard drive based video recorder with night vision capability. They are very reasonable right now. And they must have had a truck to move everything with. Don't advertise your new system to anyone. Especially the video part of it.

I bet that these guys knew you as customers before. And cased your shop for sure.

[GT182]

Originally Posted by hectore3

I bet that these guys knew you as customers before. And cased your shop for sure.

Yep, my thinking too. They knew exactly where and what they wanted...... and how to get it too.

[Kyflier]

Hey Pontiac Poncho, where in Texas?

[claydo]

I am so glad that the new law in Texas gives us the legal protection to stop these kind of "crackadillos" in their tracks (with lead). You may want to look into one of these alarm system options that use a cell phone connection to notify the contact center and have them call police without the requirement to first contact you.

[1970GTOs]

Sorry to hear about what happen my nephew works for a alarm company he the head guy and he's from Houston PM me and we can talk about his system he knows when his garage doors are open I think it's on his cell phone or pager mean while get a couple of pit bulls out there I sure hope you bust these guys there for sure going to hit you up again even look around your area someone is scoping out your place. You can also place motion lights alll around the shop that sound a bell of some sort im pissed and it's not my shop I really hope that you cover your shop up good PM me and I will give you my number so when you catch them I can help you Friendwood area.

[Engine-Ear]

pontiac poncho,

man, I echo the sentiments of the others...

just another thing to think about (for ALL of us with soare parts) - looking forward, is there any way to insure your spare parts?

I started to catalog my parts stash but didn't finish, then I moved and now I have to start over. I figured taking a digital pic (or two) of each item and trying to catalog it in a spreadsheet would be a good way to keep track of what I have or had.

Like the others, I hope you catch the perps...

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by pontiac poncho

Well, I waited and waited and my date stood me up. I was really looking forward to catching the bastards! The police did pull a print off of a wheel, and I'll know more tomorrow. The alarm wasn't the best. They pulled the siren down and ripped the keypad out of the wall. I had window opening monitors but no glass breakage ones. They busted out the window, ripped out the alarm and then kicked the crap out of the door. I guess they were going to unlock it from the inside, but they found out the locks were keyed on both sides. Another thing I couldn't figure out, I had a stack of some NOS and really nice used hoods in the corner and they knocked all of them down...don't really understand that one. The shop sits right behind my restaurant, and it's about 100 yards from a Days Inn motel. How in the hell did someone not hear this going on??? I camped out in my truck next to the hotel parking lot with a perfect view, and I'm not kidding 10 min after I showed up, the police come by and said someone in the hotel called and sayed there were 2 strange guys parked out in the parking lot? Oh well. I'm haveing a good alarm installed this week, and upgrading the doors to all steel, and expanded metal on the windows. With all this done, if they really wanted in there, they will get in there.
Thanks,
Jason

for some reason they will always come back. When I bought my place the previous owner had a small business in the garage and I found a electric fence set up that was completely operational. Of course I tested it , on, myself LOL . everything metal was "hot" and talk about a deterent!
Maybe with Texas laws you could put a sign, in spanish,and english, that trespassers will be shot?

[77birdman]

Don't forget gun control means: hitting your target