Hot Rods Tacoma Hot Rod stolen 5 days after death of owner

I copied this article from The Drive.
Let's Help Find This Veteran's 1927 Ford Model A Hot Rod Stolen Days After He Died



By Caleb Jacobs, The Drive

2 hrs ago
Hot-rodders represent a key part of American spirit at large arcing all the way back to the 1930s. Sadly, the first generations of these enthusiasts are quietly passing on--like Navy veteran Ron Harrison of Tacoma, Washington, who died last month and left behind a beautiful 1927 Ford Model A that he owned for decades. Adding to his family's pain, the treasured hot rod was then stolen a few days following his death. Now they need your help to find it.

© Provided by The Drive Hot-rodders represent a key part of American spirit at large arcing all the way back to the 1930s. Sadly, the first generations of these enthusiasts are quietly passing on—like Navy veteran Ron Harrison of Tacoma, Washington, who died last month and left behind a beautiful 1927 Ford Model A that he owned for decades. Adding […]
Harrison's brother told Q13 Fox that his family returned to his garage on East 46th Street on February 23 just five days after Ron had passed away at the age of 75 and discovered the the door open and the Model A missing. More than a week and a half later, there's been no sign of it, and no publicly-available leads in the investigation.

© Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force
"This is a car my brother Ron had for 50 years. It's a '27 Ford Model A Coupe, completely restored with a nice hot rod engine and he got lots of awards for, trophies. There's probably 15 trophies in the garage right now that he had sort of set aside so any way to get it back would be great because everybody in the family loved it," Phil Harrison said to the news station.

© Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force
Photos from a 1990 newspaper feature show the modified Blue Oval sporting flames down the side, though it was later painted all black by Harrison. Lovingly nicknamed "Windy," the Ford campaigned throughout the Pacific Northwest at car shows and local events taking home a collection of trophies. Unfortunately, so far there's a dearth of detailed photos to share.

The Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force is leading the charge in finding Harrison's Model A and notes that its most distinguishable features include a supercharger on top of the V-8 with twin stacks. There's also plenty of chrome hardware to help it stand out. There's no word on if the car was driven away or loaded onto a trailer when the thieves made off with it some two weeks ago.

If you've got a lead as to where the Model A might be, you can send a tip to the auto theft task force via Facebook Messenger or [email protected]. Anyone with any information can also contact Crime Stoppers of Tacoma Pierce County at P3Tips.com. There's a chance it could be listed for sale somewhere online, too, so scoping Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace in the greater Pacific Northwest would be a good place to start.

Then again, it's also possible that the thieves are in the process of stripping it, considering the difficulty of offloading such an easily identifiable vehicle and the number of pristine, expensive parts on a build like this. That would be the ultimate tragedy--but finding ads for those parts on hot rod forums, eBay, and other online marketplaces could also lead police to the culprits.

 

That's really heartbreaking, hope that they find it.

 

'27 Model A Coupe?


But seriously; I hope they find it and get it back to the family

 

...........Sad thing to have happen, but it could help a lot if the description was accurate!

 

Very sad to hear of this heinous theft of a great hot rod, I hope it's not been parted out!

 

Hoping some Washington guys will provide some better, more accurate info and pictures. We all know about the lack of knowledge from journalism outlets and add to that the misinformation of the internet.

 

Probably already in a container , being shipped ..despicable..

 

Just hope it's found....

 

Unscrupulous people .

 

Hope the scum bags get caught!!! And the car is returned.

 

There’s a special place in hell for thieves.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

once again no respect. first thing i throught shipping container. sure hope they get it back!

 

I really hate these sorts of things. Hopefully, the perps will find out about COVID-19 up close and personal in their very near future. That might even be a way to help combat this sort of thing; post signage that states the premises are under quarantine due to COVID-19. I think I'll do just that; every once in a while, I actually come up with something that may serve a purpose. I'm in Snohomish County, and in the Mukilteo School District, where this all COVID-19 stuff started in the USA and Washington State. It's probably already taken apart; easier to sell parts and move them around than an entire car, but I hope it all works out for the family involved. In the late 70's, I rented a garage sized storage locker in a self service storage complex. Next door to my unit was a 5 window, Ford Coupe; I don't remember the year. The owner, who I talked to quite a bit, had passed, and his "son" had tracked down where Dad had stored the car; Dad apparently did't want the kid to get hold of it. Anyway, I was there the day the car was "removed" from the premises, and even took down the license plate numbers of the truck and trailer being used; course I played dumb with the kid about what he was doing. He was eventually "caught", and with my help, he pleaded guilty, and the car went to the rest of the family; I don't think the kid went to jail however. If you store something, other than at your home, and maybe even at home, removed the wheels/tires, chain as much of the car up as possible, and just don't make it easy for a thief. I guess the drawback to that is, if you have to move the car quickly, say as in a house fire, you're probably sunk. Thieves; they used to shoot/hang horse thieves, and cars are modern day horses. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I would bet that the car disappeared with a family member, just a feeling.

 

Yep, it does kinda have that odor about it. Inside job.

Or someone who lives nearby, someone who knows he died, knew when the funeral was, and when family would be away. Death of a family member is a very commonly exploited event by criminals. It's all published information. I'd shoot the fuckers on sight, but that's just me.

 

Maybe the HAMB crew could study the pics, develop a more accurate description, and send it to the family and the cops.

 

EVIL bastards

 

I don't think the car has been out in the public for several years as it is one of those cars you just flat remember.
I'd be willing to bet that the car was stolen by someone who had been in that garage at one time (or several times) and the engine will end up in some later model rig with most of the car dumped somewhere.
Unless as some mentioned some shirt tale relation thought it was theirs for the taking and wagged it off.

Still it is best that we in the PNW keep an ear out for word that someone all the sudden came up with a blower motor that maybe they couldn't afford or someone all the sudden has made great progress on a chassis with a dropped chrome axle and other trinkets.

 

ZACKLY what I was thinking... Iceholes.

 

Unfortunately, they didn't take better pictures. Is that an A or T roadster? Looks like an A to me.

 

I’ll give it a shot- I see a ‘28-‘29 Roadster, possibly channeled with a stock height windshield and a filled cowl. There is no flange on the cowl for hood lacing (fiberglass body?) and the firewall is flush mounted.
Front suspension is a ‘28-‘36 dropped beam with early V8 Ford spindles and brakes. Might be hair pin radius rods, in any event they look long. The front spring is too long for the axle, those shackles are almost vertical.
SBC, with the later Cal Custom multi-finned valve covers and large Offenhauser breathers, sprint car style headers and it has a 6-71 with an Isky blower drive mounted to an Edelbrock blower manifold. Two Holley carbs on the blower and it looks like a small belt guard over the top pulley.

 

Keeping a look out in the Northend of Tacoma.. Dirtbag Thiefs.. hope it's found .. BTT

 

Sounds like you have relatives similar to mine....That's what I suspect as well.

 

yup some one passes and the relatives you only see when they need something show up to take what ever they can carry , there are some truly soulless folks out there

 

Someone who is close to the family I am betting. They had to know where the car was stored and that he passed.

 

Now that's low for anyone to do. Hoping it's found safe.

 

Could of been a [sorta] buddy and took advantage, someone that bought something from him, possibilities endless without more info. sure sucks whatever happened.

 

Looks like it’s a 28-29

 

Similar occurence last year in Georgia. Life long collection of 50+ classic cars dating from the '30's were stored in the owners old chicken house. Several days after his death thieves broke in and stole 17 of the most valuable cars and all of his vintage automotive metal & porcelain signs. To date no one has been caught since he lived in a rural setting with no witnesses. It is also thought that so called friends and or distant family members are responsible since the cars were so well hidden away.

 

It was likely someone they know . Sorry thieves hope the car is recovered and the culprit gets just desserts.