Drag-N-Drive 1969 Chevy Chevelle SS 396 Stolen & Stripped! Original Paint & Interior Car!

I've know Jay for years, we raced together clear back in the 90's! Recently, Jay took his original paint 1969 Chevelle SS 396 and his dad took his supercharged late model Camaro on the road for Drag-N-Drive. Due to an extremely long and hot day, they did not make it to one of the hotels with extra security for the race cars. The hotel they did choose did have other Drag-N-Drive cars in the lot, so they thought they were good. But, the next morning, both of the cars were GONE!
The Chevelle was recovered without the motor and trans and some other choice pieces, but the worst part was the body damage to a car that was still wearing its original hugger orange paint. The Camaro has not been found. It's a terrible situation and every gearheads worst nightmare, but at least the car was recovered and can be fixed.
If you like old cars, trucks, and automobilia, be sure to check out all of my other videos! Please subscribe so you can keep up with the new videos as I post them!
If you have questions about vehicles or parts, the only way to get a hold of me is to call me, 8 AM-8 PM CST, no texts, no e-mails, no messenger, no smoke signals, calls only.
If I don’t answer, I’m probably on the phone with someone else and if you don’t leave me a message, I just assume you're another telemarketer trying to sell me an extended warranty! LOL!
If you comment, message, text, e-mail, etc., don't expect me to find it and don't expect an answer. Thanks for watching, Chad 620-786-4428

[@HotRodCamaro]

Beautiful car man…makes my blood boil people do this kind of stuff. Good that you have it back. Good luck with it. Thanks Chad for sharing the story.

[@thhulk306]

This is why all of my classics have trackers, connected to my phone. Glad you got it back.

[@erichuff2538]

I need to look into such a device. What brand do you like ? Thanks for your help.

[@musclebone7875]

A honest person can't have anything in this world.

[@user-ht1xu4gv2u]

Looks like insurance scam. Usually they smash windowsrip upholstery and dent paint. Nawww tooo heat😮😮😮😮

[@musclebone7875]

@@user-ht1xu4gv2u only God knows! I had my car stolen twice so I can relate to this guy. They only took my rims and radio system. They also messed up various parts on the car. Eventually I let the car and never looked back.

[@donwhite666]

Deffinatly not an insurance scam, im sure you didnt watch the whole video to get the whole story though.

[@thomasthurston6656]

@musclebone7875 Hi from CALIFORNIA SoCal. If they can't steal it, they will screw it up for you. You have always got to watch around here and lock everything, or it will be gone they will take anything.

[@user-ht1xu4gv2u]

@@thomasthurston6656 same here metro NYC. We had 71. Elly and tried to steal hood fenders buckets...good thing neighbor came and blocked there car on street they ran off turns out there car stolen....grrrrrrr

[@farmerbrown3768]

I hate a damn thief!

[@timmygiles9554]

Glad you got it back!! Apple tag. I took an animal chip and hide it in my car and named my dog. The dog gps chip is easier to hide!

[@kevinl.2291]

Sorry that happened to you and your dad. I hope you find the Camaro. 👍😎✌️

[@ddm220]

Heard the same story recently. Motel at night, stolen by morning full of expensive tools. His car was never found.

[@larryalexander4833]

Yes in SC .

[@thomas3059]

I am so sorry for your loss. I. See some tennessee justice there

[@Dave_Boyer]

Nothing lower than a scumbag car thief. Just sickening…Glad it was found, in saveable condition.

[@bigwen5135]

Damn! This is my worse nightmare!, much luck in the rebuild guys! 😢

[@Huntinghogs]

They coated that car in ATF to get rid of finger prints.

[@jimpatnode4445]

So glad you spotlighted this car. Really sucks the people out there. I saw him run thru Wilson last year. Beautiful car.

[@rickyrunner7619]

that sucks every part and every piece of my ride is special stamped and coded and tracking devices on all of mine glad you got it back

[@RyanFairchild]

Damn this sucks, glad you got the car back atleast. Good coverage.

[@1-75Ranger]

I'm so sorry that this happened to you Jay. You seem like a really nice person and so down to earth. I feel horrible for you and your family. As a fellow muscle car guy, I couldn't agree with you more when you made the comment about trackers. My old twin turbo small block Corvette has two Apple air tags, a GPS tracker, and kill switches to both the ignition and fuel pump. If anything were to happen to the car, I would at least be able to follow where the car traveled as well as where it stopped if someone took it somewhere to strip it down. The worst thing about your situation was that this was an original car from a paint and body standpoint, making the repairs that much harder. The level of disrespect they showed to you and the poor Chevelle are hard for me to quantify. It's so sad to see such a cool car and its owner treated that way. I'm just glad you and your family are safe after this ordeal, and I look forward to seeing that awesome car back on the road again.

[@omgbbqcia911]

most messed up part is they doused the car in trans fluid to set it on fire once they were done stripping it. some real POS people out there

[@danielcrenshaw7595]

They did that to try an get there prints off of it . That's why people do that to cars

[@erichuff2538]

That's what I was wondering / thinking .

[@davidsalvo9021]

This guy is WAAAAY too happy for me,,,,I wouldn’t have the same attitude!

[@bigmikeyz0071]

Well most people never get their cars back from these thefts. He’s happy to have it back that’s all it is honestly. His dad is still missing his car but at least they got their family treasure back.

[@corysgarage3928]

Man. That hurts to see. I’m glad you got it back.

[@tomasgilbert9491]

Nothing like reserving a place in hell. Nearly impossible to come back from this sin.

[@jamescon55]

A friggin men 🤘🔥🤘

[@williamstamper442]

Such a sad story with a much better ending that could have been. The patina on this car gives me goosebumps. As a life long lover of GM A-bodies, this car tickles all my senses. So very sorry for the damage done...yet so excited for you getting this much back. It may take awhile but I imagine it eventually will come back better than ever. I still have my first car, it's a 1970 Olds 442. Had it since 1983. Right now it's a stripped down roller, been in paint jail for 20 years because life does have its way of getting in the way. Lot of similarities to this car and mine such as 6 point roll bar and alot of aftermarket but bolt on parts that don't require much if any cutting of the car. The damage they caused to the body makes me sick, yet the patina is still there and I really believe repairs can be made yet retain that original paint. You got a subscriber. Hope to follow this car to it's next incarnation. Please don't do the LS thing. A single hairdryer on a 540 sounds nice. But of course everyone will respect what one does with their own car! That's what's most important. Wishing y'all the best from this moment on.

[@rockeroller]

Wow, such disrespect to a vintage survivor car.

[@sheltdog8463]

Sux the car was stolen but Atleast you got it back in the condition it’s in. They could have torched it, the trans fluid was used so no finger prints could be pulled. I’d shop around the junkyard’s for a low mileage LS motor. Their is a KZbin channel that has a company that buys used motors and they go through them and resell them, can’t remember the name of that channel. Good Luck with the new build!

[@rolorock4586]

Sad, A good thing to do when you have a rare Kool car or Truck. Place a TRACKING device on It . Glad you got it Back

[@richardsmith-qy6vl]

Back in the 80s a co worker of mine i street raced with bought a 68 chevelle ss 396 turbo 400 car that was parked in front of his moms house and right in the front door someone stole it and they got the engine and trans that was numbers matching and the rearend he did get the body back but sold it and built a small block grimlin.

[@davesnothere8859]

the ole chevelle to gremlin down grade.

[@billwilliams2242]

I went in the Army in 80 my 70 Chevelle got stolen in Houston while I was in basic training . Never to be seen again 😢

[@MichaelBass-hb3uo]

Good you got it back my 72 Mustang still hasn't been found it was taken in 1996

[@danielsmith9500]

So sorry it was stolen but I’m so thankful u got it back. It’s a one of a kind

[@79tazman]

I always take my precautions with my cars on drag and drives or anytime if they are parked overnight on the new cars I pull the fuel pump relay and the old ones I have a secret switch for power and other things so there is no way to get the car to fire up so it will have to be trailered away and I have a GPS trackers too so if they do get away with it i will not be for long.

[@historybuff9276]

Im so happy you got your car back,even though its been stripped and abused i know you're glad you have it. I learned to drive in my grand parents 72 C10 it had been in the family since i was 10. My Nanny loved that truck more than PawPaw and after she passed away he gave it to me. I had plans to restore it and drove it for awhile the whole time i was gathering up parts either junkyars or buying online. Not long after i lost my PawPaw i took a trip to the river for the weekend,when i returned my truck was gone. I immediately reported it and everone in my family and a lot of friends started looking for it and spreading the word . It never turned uo because after the engine)trans,steering column and wheels were removed it was crushed . All the POS crackheads needed was a fake bill of sale,thats all Alabama required then i think the bill of sale has to be notorized now. So i know the gut punch feeling of loosing a car thats been in the family for so long that it has become a family member. Good luck of getting it back on the road.

[@georgewilson9121]

i remember when these were new not the fastest but very fast they never get credit for what they were very good at they were very good ratters

[@georgewilson9121]

they gave the cops vetts camaros mustangs mopars fits if you were a good driver

[@lightson7843]

I feel so sorry for you and it make me so mad that you put blood sweat and tears into something you love and a low life thief just violates your car and steals everything you put in it , but glad you got your baby back bro hope to see it back up and running harder than ever

[@user-tp8wx1gb9h]

Don't ls it go back big block or small block that's not an LS vehicle I'm sorry but it's yours do it how you want it

[@MidnightinSavannah]

I hate a F'ing thief, all that stuff probably went to Mexico. They knew if they tried to take that Chevelle into Mexico they would have been caught.

[@joshdye1684]

Hard to say. Not sure if you’re familiar with Enis, but it’s about 65% methheads!!

[@stannelson2582]

Oil hides finger prints maybe.

[@donwhite666]

Thats 100 percent why they did it! Cant lift a fingerprint!

[@therosejewelrailroad489]

Makes sense. I never thought of that. Obviously I’m not up on the naughty car stuff.

[@Stupidfastracing]

Damn that's a shame glad you got your chevelle back

[@googleusergp]

Herl Chevrolet is still in business in Goodland, TX. I'm wondering if any fingerprints can be lifted. The problem is (and this happened to me) is that fingerprints found are depending on the case, "circumstantial evidence". Yet, if some foreign prints are there, they have no right to be there and shouldn't be there. What's there to prove? I had a similar experience. My 1982 Oldsmobile Toronado was stolen in 1990. It was found the next day at the beach with a screwdriver (not mine) on the seat and greasy fingerprints on the windows. The cops refused to take prints and handed me the screwdriver and told me to take my plates off and rotation tow could take it. I told them no and had the car towed out of there. I bought it back from the insurance company, then I rebuilt it and then sold it. I still to this day wish I knew who did it. Thirty-four years later, even though the car is gone, it wouldn't end well for the person(s) that stole it if I knew who they were.....

[@tim1894]

As a tow truck/repo driver, if you have 1000 tricks to keep me from getting it, I have 1001 to get it. I still care for the vehicle so I can only cringe at what this kind of animals would do. I’m sorry for you going through this but I’m glad you got it back

[@danielknepper6884]

Yeah thiefs or repo Men , if someone wants your car they're going to get it

[@tim1894]

@@danielknepper6884 gone in 60 seconds? I’m talking 15-20 seconds tops

[@BruceDotson-l1q]

He is not paranoid.DAm thiefs.Glad u got it back.he can fix it.good job.B happy bud...happy ending vid.not click bait..Thanks..

[@BruceDotson-l1q]

Put pods on everything ,,don't shoot ? They r not worth a dollar bullet.then u r not trouble, just put n jail.....good luck brother...but,the law don't always help. .pods,pods pods...apple makes then....Goodluck.

[@erichuff2538]

2 things.. I'm glad you got it back.. and that's a good looking dog.. 👌

[@ronaldhellengreen7063]

Did they catch the A holes that did this? Sure am glad you got it back!!! Would like to see up dates on the Resurrection of your 69SS. PEACE ✌️

[@todddewey7218]

Sorry that happened, it's happened to me, 66 Chevelle.

[@leprechaungarage]

That’s really to bad . This is why I feel like I can’t leave sight of my 72 k5 when I drive it which is quite often .

[@albertparker5716]

Personally I think the transmission guild was to make sure the car was wiped down entirely plus the guild attracts dirt they didn’t want there fingerprints found means they’re on record

[@Bryan-uq1sl]

There was a car exactly like that one in an episode of Bewitched

[@thecolorgreen7046]

This truly sucks. Hope you rebuild with another big block 396. There's got to be one out there somewhere in a backyard or barn somewhere you can rebuild. Best of luck restoring your badass SS.

[@Papaw_Vin]

Man that hurts to see such a sweet machine be so disrespected. It's bad enough that they stole it but dang. I hope they get what they deserve.

[@therosejewelrailroad489]

Hard to believe someone could do this to a car like that. I feel so bad for you. I hope it was insured?

[@kaylenedowdle1310]

Most likely model citizens

[@albertparker5716]

I had my 69 SS 396 stoked about a year and four months ago survived car orginal paint interior they cut lock on my gate got into my shop and drug it off have not found it yet what don’t steel they destroy I know how you feel

[@AutoAuctionRebuilds]

That looks just like my 69 Chevelle I sold back in 2022. Same orange with white top, white interior, white stripes. Sorry that happened to you.

[@royjarvais9038]

The reason for the oil all over the car was to burn it to hide prints, an oil or tranny fluid dint burn like gas so you got lucky it didnt burn as that was their plan

[@tinkerne-round4079]

I bought a 68 coronet off a guy who put it in storage in 1986 after blowing up the motor. I've put a 871 blown 440 in it and left it in its original paint which is decent not show. I have been at MoKan with it. I would like to see it at MoKan at some point. I think it would be awesome to see it with a big block in it again, but I understand the modernizing it. I will say I think with the frequency of all the LS swapping it seems they have an "it's been done" feeling goes with that. The blower gets a crazy amount of attention. I wonder if the oil was to keep the police from being able to pull a print?

[@turnertruckandtractor]

Very maddening people can't leave things that are not theirs alone. Ruined a car and ruins the hobby. People like that need their you know what cut off. Glad you got the remains back. Sadly it makes you view your fellow man with suspect.

[@timothydockery534]

Fucking shame if you had the numbers off the block maybe you could list them all over the internet

[@petegregory517]

Years ago I heard on a tv show a guy asking a reformed car thief how to keep someone from stealing his car, guy said “don’t buy one.”

[@user-tx4ts5vk5f]

How could anyone do that to a piece of art. I hope the trash that did this pays dearly. Some people should not have kids. You know who you are.

[@chevyshawn5918]

Sorry to the owners. My 69 has been in my family since the early 80’s.

[@matthewh3795]

I bet they covered it in oil to prevent finger prints

[@johnoneal1999]

Coated it in oil to make it burn better. Another drag racer lost his Studebaker in Florida after a drag-n-drive there earlier this year. Still hasn't recovered it...

[@user-ut5vs6er7h]

Sorry that happened

[@chevelleranch7481]

Infuriating and sad. Sorry this happened. I have a column shift or a floor shift steering column I would donate towards the resurrection if interested.

[@willyphast2509]

bad luck comes to the guys who dune this. i hade one" i no the love and passion for these ss396 chevelles, life wont be the same for awhile, but ya got your girl back,,

[@79tazman]

The worst pary is that it's an all original car something you can never get back and that has got to hurt the most or it would for me because it's only original once and once it's painted or restored nothing is original anymore.

[@xaviercb73]

Sorry to see. Sucks that this crap happens. Hopefully it hasn’t soured you on drag&drive. Raceweek family feels for you.

[@erichuff2538]

Your attitude is awesome. But it is a beautiful car.

[@drewscruis]

That's a dam shame, but 1 thing is for sure. They were definitely amateurs. I worked in a dealership and you could always tell who was a pro and who was a hack by the damage done to the car.

[@russellpoland6637]

Makes me wonder, which is worse? Insurance or Thieves?? No, just saying. Here is hoping that the no goods who prey on hard working guys get every last ounce of retribution heaped upon them and twice more! It sicken me to see that beautiful car with the damage done to it! In my younger days I had a 1969 Chevelle myself, Metallic Blue with Black interior, 327 auto. I know the feeling f or the car. Even more so with it having been in the Family! So sad to think of scavengers lurking at these events just waiting to pull a car to pieces! I am glad to see they got the car back and that it has been chosen to resurrect it rather than put it to rest. I do hope it is thought of as a fresh revival rather than a painful reassembly. I also hope that the Camaro memories are not too painful. Much success to the Family and the new life of the Chevelle! A true story of determination and strength. Thank You for sharing!

[@thomasthurston6656]

I bet they rubbed the car down with oil, so you couldn't get prints off the car.

[@79tazman]

If it was a new camaro ontar should have GPS tracking on it and be able to track where i went. The best things for classic cars now days is GPS tracking but you got o hide the sensors in a good place so thy will not be found on my cars I took them apart and hid them where no one will find it unless they strip the car down and even then it won't be found unless they know what they are looking for.

[@AtomicDog58]

If you have photos of your dad's Camaro put them out there so somebody can say something✊️😎

[@That70sChannel]

In the old west, horse thievin' was a capital offense. I don't see how the reasons for that have changed.

[@dwaynesullivan-qo2iz]

Best of luck on your rebuild.

[@leegoldeneagle9003]

Sorry very nice car an I now you can do it it will love again ☺️🙏

[@davesnothere8859]

stealing makes me mad that someone steals but it just drives me crazy when someone does more damage than the value of what they steal. 8.1 vortec is still fairly available though for a good price hate to see a big block to small block, that is like it's soul.

[@jstar1000]

Years ago my brother had that exact same car in the exact same color, same motor etc. He had it for sale and some guy came to check it out and he let him test it out by himself, he was gone for a good 30 to 45 minutes and brought it back and said thanks. Later that night he came back and stole it, apparently he had a key made and stole it. He got it back a few days later and then sold it. This was back in the early 80s, wonder if this is the same car lol. It was in Dallas. I actually have a photo of it somewhere.

[@jstar1000]

Just found the photo it was this color with white interior and a white top but the side stripe was black.

[@AtomicDog58]

I'm sorry take your time do it again this time get you some apple air tags. I have nightmares about that✊️😎

[@montemaguire4596]

Maybe u where followed from the race track to the hotel

[@danielulz1640]

Well that just sucks rotten Buzzard eggs!

[@kipcarson3307]

Hey man I really hope you get to read this comment but if I were you I would go back to the neighborhood where your car was found and check to see if anybody has any door cameras or surveillance cameras on their house because where your car was dumped I will almost guarantee the parts are no more than a mile away if less than that they could be in the neighborhood where your car was dumped at

[@johnmilner7603]

Love to see the thieves get caught so knees can be broke. Just bc the engine was stole you need to go back to a 396. LS sucks in an old car. Too many LS conversions so go back to original.

[@chadgardee1496]

Sorry that happened to you man

[@RollinMyOwn]

Lol the oil was to get rid of fingerprints... don't ask how I found that out.... pretty similar situation...

[@73buickman]

Hope you get the car back together

[@TheLastResort3113]

Sacrilege, but it will live again. You will probably have 2x the fun this go around.

[@mikeskidmore6754]

How a Man Recovers his Stolen Camaro after 16 years: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJK8m4t5aNejd80

[@therustyduck5400]

What a crazy story, man that sucks. I would get the trunk to latch, get a new key cylinder and beat the rest back, call it War Wounds. I was SO happy to see the scumbags didn't trash the interior. Whew.....

[@Freightslave-ok2ww]

They stole it. They stripped it, but they left the most valuable part of the car behind, car itself!

[@Cale442]

Ive had that nightmare a couple times and my car isnt even finished, but glad you got it back!

[@AllenCostello-kl8qs]

Dang 😢

[@jrnash5329]

Yeah that's terrible , & unfortunately I know how you feel I've owned Camaro's , Chevelle's , &more recently five 71-72 El Camino's & 2 of them were snatched from work parking lots the only good thing is they were recovered within 12 hours ! It's a risk no matter how you look at it. Shouldn't be that way but creeps are out there !

[@MartinMcMartin]

This sucks. Another young drag and drive racer had his truck, trailer with the car and everything in it stolen from his motel earlier this year. I think the scumbags follow these events.

[@leongaskell1533]

The reason for oiling the car is to make it impossible to get fingerprints lifted .

[@josephfine3394]

Jay, so sad to see this. I hope those crackheads get careless and you find your drivetrain. Keep looking sir!

[@CarsandCats]

Someone really should come up with some sort of device that could track your car after it gets stolen.

[@Strokedlt1]

They will spray wd40 or any other oil based spray and it will blemish fingerprints and make them not get a good print. I had a 80 malibu stolen and same thing happened stripped and oiled down

[@Timrsnakess]

Well karma exists so thats something, shit situation

[@jimdandy7323]

this was fast with the M-22 and 411 differential...then came the Plymouth 360...

[@TopNotch50]

Apple tag easily solves this problem.

[@bryantidwell]

Put the original 396 big block engine back in that car with the original transmission

[@boostednova7120]

Does agreed value insurance pay out anything in cases like this?

[@RonSales]

With that much oil there should have been some fingerprints on the car.

[@zackmabry7903]

Seems to me that some of these parts places like Summitt racing or jegs or holley would help this guy out!