Hot Rods Still looking for stolen 60 Mercury

need some pictures !!!!!!!!!

 

I may have found a fender today.

 

thanks for the reply's ,I learned a long time ago never say never ,I will probably not get it back but I am going to keep looking ,thanks for reading the post ,everyone have a happy new year

 

pictures I dont have ,I went threw flood of 2011 everything got tossed

 

I say there's a chance the car was not parted out. It may have been sold off and could possibly still exist. The text above that I colored blue, leads me to believe that your car may have been a victim of the old "switcheroo", the oldest car theft trick in the book. The car dealer has a 60 Merc parts car/with clear title. He sends out word to his car thief contacts that he needs a clean 60 Mercury (Or, someone has previously seen your 60, then comes across the parts 60 and buys it with the intention of stealing your 60).
The "clean" parts car VIN tag and title get "attached" to your 60, then eventually sold off to Fl. as you mentioned.
I believe the path to finding your car is to locate the "parts car" (in Harogate, TN). I bet there's no VIN plate on it, but if the authorities retrieve the VIN #'s (XXXXXXXXXX) from the frame and run them, there's a chance it will show that Mercury VIN # is registered to a licensed car (in FL?). That car will be your car wearing the "parts car" VIN tag/(XXXXXXXXXX) title . Once that car is located, a check of the frame VIN would reveal your VIN (0W31P533272), establishing it is your car.

Harogate is a small town of 4000 with a few wrecking yards. Call those yards and ask if they have a 60 Merc in their yard. You can also start scanning the town with Google Earth.

You mentioned the car was painted grey. Was that the original factory color or a repaint (I don't see grey on a 60 Merc paint chart)? If that was a repaint, chances are good that if it was painted again, the new owner would go back to the original color (per the data plate) as a 60 Merc would typically remain a stock ("restored") car and not be wearing wild paint. So in other words, if your car was originally red, and it's found, it may very well be wearing red.

 

I hope it didn't wind up in Newport T.N. The local sherriff once said there were too many hollars up there to search for a stolen car and even he wouldnt go in to some of them by him self looking for them. GOOD LUCK I hope you find her still in 1 piece. Bruce.

 

Or it came back as a Yugo in 1978, maybe as TWO of them...

 

Bruce, liked your post about Newport TN. I have some friends there in the Hard Times car club. Also known for a Moonshine producing area.

Gary

 

Gary and a lot more goes on up there too!!!!!. They do have a killer car show in the summer in their park. I always go to that one.We take the grandkids too they can ride their bikes there and they have a big playground with all sorts of stuff for the kids while we check out the cars. Bruce.

 

Hot Rods To Hell ,the car even though I said grey was actually more of a silver which was original to the car,the Tennessee state police investigator told me exactly the same thing as you did about most likely the vin was swapped on the cars ,and he was going to try and locate car in Harogate Tennessee ,it is hard for them to devote much time to a car theft from 1970 but they have been very fair to try and help me ,I dont want to be looked at as a pain in the ass or some kind of nut case but I have always had the feeling the car is complete somewhere,and I really appreciate the help ,if it is meant to be I will locate the car

 

Bruce, the Hard Times clubs summer show is called the Moonshine Run appropriately so.

Gary

 

Cars like this are popular demolition derby fodder. Find the guys that run cars every year . They probably have leads on every land barge in 3 counties.

 

YUP, that's it Gary! Bruce.

 

A 60 merc in the demo-derby’s
Dang that would be a big end show!!!

 

When you find it, and I hope you do, look around for my 52 AD truck that was stolen on Chapman Highway in Knoxville in '71. I stopped looking for that one in '72.
Cherry Street isn't, and wasn't a "good" part of town in Knox. Lot of bad stuff happens around there.
Good luck.

 

Another individual in law enforcement in Tennessee told me that stolen cars are a family business in Tennessee said he arrested the grandfathers ,now he is arresting the son and the grandsons ,I have been told as Bruce said Newport Tenn and I be leave it is Cocke county is really bad for stolen cars ,one thing I cannot stand is a thief ,if you work hard to get something ,then someone just up and takes it from you

 

Williebill,I am about 30 minutes from Knoxville. I agree with you Cherry street isn't the best area. Knoxville has really started to come back to life over the last few years, a lot of new building and restrants and much more going up but there are some places I wouldn't get out of my car. But I guess every town has places like that.Bruce.

 

Hudsonmand.I agree with you.Some time I thing thiefs should be treated as in some other countrys. You steal they cut off your hand. We work too hard for our old cars for some one to just come in and steal them. Bruce.

 

I read once, stealing a car used to get a 5 to 10 year prison sentence upon conviction. What is it now?

These days criminals are just on the catch and release program, usually till they do something bad enough that it can't be ignored any longer.

 

btt

 

I remember seeing a red 60 on this site years back. Enter it in the search and it should come up. Doubt its the car but gives us an idea of what it might of looked like.

 

Go to Nashville (Mount Juliet) and get this rare 60 to get your fix, seems priced rite if you want a project???
https://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/d/raredoor-mercury-parklane/6438798687.html

 

btt

 

No interest I suppose???, Ironically just saw one of these in a thread a month or two ago for the first time that I can recall,(rare I think) I like it but for someone else unfortunately....

 

there are sentimental reasons for wanted to recover exact car, but I appreciate your information

 

Not that far from Harogate to Nashville......might be the same car. A lot could have been changed over the years. Would be worth it just to compare the serial numbers, if you have the original one....

 

Well you are not far from what at one time was the stolen car capital Mount Eagle Tennessee. Several years ago the national guard used hellicopters to remove over a thousand cars shoved into a big valley on the mountain. Close to 40 years ago several friends and myself purchased a lot of engines from that area. Shit they would take a order and have it for you in 3 days. Another problem is when scrap prices hit a high several years ago a lot of old cars were stolen and sold for scrap. GOOD LUCK you are going to need it..

 

mine is a two door sedan

 

ya its probably a lost cause ,but what perks my curiosity is a two door sedan silver in color sat on a used car lot in new tazwell tennessee for many years and the owner would not sell it just would like to have vin off that car