[indetrucks]

Maybe someone needed a tank for their Pontiac?

[rohrt]

That just doesn't make much sense to steal a gas tank. Gives me one more reason to never drive my FB out of the garage unless I plan to come strait back when I'm done.

As for as motive money doesn't make sense. The thieves wouldn't know if it was full or empty. Even if full would only get them what $50. Unless like someone else posted they did it to disable the car and even if that was the case their would easier ways to do that. I wonder if they just needed a new gas tank for their chevelle?

I recall some kids back in high school (late 80s)when they exploded their spider gears cruising the local strip. Not to be deterred they snuck into the back of a car dealership and pulled a center section out of a compatible GM car. Couple hours later they were out cruising around again. Imagine the surprise for the dealership owner.

[68lemansman]

Could be a bunch of huffers. I think that's what you call them. They sniff gas,glue, paInt. You must of had some GOOD gas in there.

[400 4spd.]

One morning my Dad was going to take my Mom to work and the '61 Biscayne wouldn't budge. He put it in reverse and it just revved. Seems someone had blocked the back tire with a brick from our neighbor's flower bed so the car would stay still when they stole the drive shaft.
A year or so later, a neighbor 2 doors down went to start his sweet '64 Olds Starfire convertible. He said whoever stole his carb must have hooked the throttle spring up to something, because he kept pumping the gas to get it started. Probably thought it was flooded and held it down, because when it lit it boomed, and I and everyone else came out their houses to see it burning.
It burned to crisp while the Fire Department was on the way.

[PonchoV8]

Are you positive you had the gas tank on the car when you left?

I heard a guy say he worked as a VW tech in Florida in the 1970s or early 1980s. He said a couple of them would go to a theater and steal someone's engine in about 8 minutes. Imagine coming out to your car with your date in the dark and it won't even turn over.

[form74]

Originally Posted by 400 4spd.

One morning my Dad was going to take my Mom to work and the '61 Biscayne wouldn't budge. He put it in reverse and it just revved. Seems someone had blocked the back tire with a brick from our neighbor's flower bed so the car would stay still when they stole the drive shaft.

That happened to my buddy about 15 years ago, came out in the morning and his K5 Blazer woundn't move. He was able to move it out of the way to get another car out by putting in 4WD.

[Motor Daddy]

One morning my neighbor's wife was gonna go to work and she started her Toyota 4 Runner and it sounded like a tank. Somebody cut out the catalytic convertor. It was gone! Must have used a cordless saws-all or something.

But stealing a gas tank??? WTF!!!

[hpp]

Strange...Whats next your spark plugs? I swear people will steal anything,sorry to hear they did that.

[cuz68]

Maybe someone has pulled a joke on you? Im like the rest I have never saw any thing like this, Hope you get your tank back, Did you call the cops? what did thay say.

[Bob Hall]

Personally, I think the Meth heads mentioned previously is the most plausible explanation. Nothing.....Nothing those people do surprise me anymore.

[bsblguy]

Years ago when I worked in downtown LA a co-workers car was broken into and they stole an AM radio from a ford granada. Radio didn't even work. Stealing a gas tank is pretty strange though.

[Stuart]

Maybe some local GTO owner needed a new gas tank...who knows. At some point I figured out it's a waste of effort to try to figure out why people steal stuff, there's just no logical reason for most of it.

[geeteeohguy]

"It's a waste of effort to try to figure out why people steal stuff, there's just no logical reason for it..."
People steal stuff because they don't want to pay for it. Trying to see the criminal's side of the equation is like trying to negotiate with terrorists or trying to talk a shark out of biting your leg off. Meth (and drugs in general) has been, is, and will be the downfall of this country. It is politically incorrect to hold drug addicts and recreational drug users responsible for the border wars, drug cartels, and murders that occur to keep our population steadily supplied with drugs. Meth is particulary bad...worse than Heroin when it comes to health issues, crime, and hospital bills you and I pay in medical insurance increases in order to treat these guys when they blow themselves up. Earlier in the year, a house blew up a mile from work...it felt like a truck hit the building. Leveled the house (meth lab run by two illegals). One ran away and escaped, the other was burned over 80% of his body. Guess who's paying for his hospital bill of $2 million? We are. And thousands of others like him. Meth people (tweekers) become non-people in a hurry and ought to be euthanized, IMO.

[jasonblair]

UPDATE - THE GAS TANK HAS BEEN FOUND! They recovered it in a ditch off of state road 67. It's scraped up on the bottom, and there is a small dent in the corner, but not so bad that it will affect the tank capacity (maybe a quart less will fit). When I bought the car, the tank had a thick black coating on it (not as thick as Zeibart undercoating, but thicker than normal paint), but due to the scrapes, now has bare metal exposed. No straps or brackets to be found though... so I'm still waiting on them to arrive.

As an aside, when I was driving home yesterday, I had news radio on, and they mentioned how Indiana just passed a bill requiring all pawn shops to hold payment on all platinum and catalytic converters for ten days, as a deterrent to cut down on theft!

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by jasonblair

UPDATE - THE GAS TANK HAS BEEN FOUND! They recovered it in a ditch off of state road 67. It's scraped up on the bottom, and there is a small dent in the corner, but not so bad that it will affect the tank capacity (maybe a quart less will fit). When I bought the car, the tank had a thick black coating on it (not as thick as Zeibart undercoating, but thicker than normal paint), but due to the scrapes, now has bare metal exposed. No straps or brackets to be found though... so I'm still waiting on them to arrive.

As an aside, when I was driving home yesterday, I had news radio on, and they mentioned how Indiana just passed a bill requiring all pawn shops to hold payment on all platinum and catalytic converters for ten days, as a deterrent to cut down on theft!

Congrats, and good for you that it was found!

Others here, more skilled than me, can detail how you can use compressed air to pop that dent out and return it to normal capacity.

Thank you for sharing your story Jason and thank you especially for maintaining a sense of humor during all of this. I for one greatly appreciate it!

[jasonblair]

Originally Posted by geeteeohguy

Meth people (tweekers) become non-people in a hurry and ought to be euthanized, IMO.

Off topic, I find it strange that no matter where I go in the country, people always tell me "After all, [insert city presently located] IS the meth capital of the world!"

Why is it that everyone is so quick to claim THEIR town as the meth capital? (From data I've read, which is fairly subjective, southeastern Missouri has the most meth arrests per capita... But that could only signal increased police enforcement, not actual increased use there.)

The other one that I hear everywhere (except California) is... "Well, you know what they say about [insert state you are located] weather... If you don't like it, wait a couple of hours and it'll change!"

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by jasonblair

... southeastern Missouri has the most meth arrests per capita...

That's where my parents are from originally so I would not have guessed that. Maybe it's cause there's no people down there....

Originally Posted by jasonblair

... The other one that I hear everywhere (except California) is... "Well, you know what they say about [insert state you are located] weather... If you don't like it, wait a couple of hours and it'll change!"

We don't say that here in Michigan. We only have to wait 15 minutes.

K

[GT182]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

We don't say that here in Michigan. We only have to wait 15 minutes.

K

Delware has ya beat Keith. It's 10 minutes or less around here. LOL

[Deadhead]

Originally Posted by jasonblair

Why is it that everyone is so quick to claim THEIR town as the meth capital?

It is b/c when you live in a place that has ANY level of this problem at all and you have to deal with it you realize what a huge problem it is and how it is nearly impossible to surmount. It seems untenable, and you are overwhelmed by the totally irrational behavior and lack of recourse. It is then hard to believe that it is like that anywhere else, which it is. These people are sub-human by choice, and they cost us all huge amounts of tangible and intangible damages. The worst part is how long they can go on in their condition without croaking.

It is awesome that your tank was found and at the same time unbelievable that it was obviously stolen just for the gas. I wonder how many times they have done this for the $70+ pay-off. No wonder there is a dent. A tank with gas sloshing around in it is an ungainly beast even for 2 guys. You would have to be on meth or crack to deal with maneuvering it and dealing with the gas that you got all over yourself in the process. Another bad part about it is that nobody said anything. There is no way that this circus act went unobserved.

[Chris65LeMans]

Originally Posted by jasonblair

The other one that I hear everywhere (except California) is... "Well, you know what they say about [insert state you are located] weather... If you don't like it, wait a couple of hours and it'll change!"

They all think that's an original joke, too.

In my business, every so often I'll get to go have a $70 steak on someone else's dime. There's always somebody in the group who will refuse to eat the steak because "I'm from _____, and nobody has better steak than us." They're always from a place that makes me question that statement, too. (Miami, Jersey City, etc.)