On the hunt

[OrignlZ]

Thank you to everyone for your input! I've been out of town and haven't had a chance to check up on this thread for a few weeks now. Did we ever determine if there are any Nevada members on here who may be in the know on Nevada cars? I'm going to try and call the Nevada DMV and see if I can get anywhere, and if not I'll go to my local AAA office and see if they can work any magic. Seems like as good a starting point as any!

[bcmiller]

AAA won't be able to do anything for you.  Start with the Nevada state DMV.

[David K]

Sounds like a grand quest. However, privacy is a highly valued and dwindling commodity in our world, and I would tread beyond very lightly if you find the owner. I get the desire, but imagine how any of us would feel if out of the blue …….you get the idea. I am curious how it turns out.

[OrignlZ]

Sounds like a grand quest. However, privacy is a highly valued and dwindling commodity in our world, and I would tread beyond very lightly if you find the owner. I get the desire, but imagine how any of us would feel if out of the blue …….you get the idea. I am curious how it turns out.

This has been something I've been going back and forth on. I honestly wasn't sure I'd even get this far given what little info I had and the decades in between my family owning it and now. On one hand I fully understand the unease someone could feel when someone out of the blue gets in contact with them over a car they own. My first thoughts would be how did you get my info and now I have to worry about this person coming to my house and stealing my car. Even though my intentions are purely innocent and driven by a love of cars (this one in particular), I know that there are many people who would have different intentions hunting down a car.

On the flip side of the coin, knowing the history of your car and where it came from is usually valuable information for people with matching #'s cars and being able to verify the cars authenticity. Especially Los Angeles cars, which this one was. I have pictures of this car as it was in 1979, before my dad restored it and before faking trim tags and re-stamping blocks etc was as big a problem as it became/is now. I was at cars and coffee yesterday and talking with a very nice gentleman who has 2 matching #'s 69 Z's, I was telling him the story and he was telling me how I need to find this car and as an owner he'd want to know that information. So that's the battle I'm wrestling with in my head as to how far I try and take this, because I do appreciate the privacy aspect especially being in a law enforcement family. Again, I appreciate everyones help and input/advice on this endeavor.

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

My dad took me to Downey Ford to look at the new 1970 BOSS 302 Mustang and we went out for a test drive in a car that only had two options, power steering and an AM radio.  Although we did not buy the car, I did buy a BOSS 302 that came from the same dealer in 2010.  Someone on a website commented that they remembered seeing the car in the showroom at Downey Ford and wondered why the highly optioned BOSS 302 had steel wheels and not Magnum 500s!  As you have posted a lot of information about your dad's 1969 Z28 on CRG, perhaps someone will know where the car is today and contact you.  Good luck! - Mark
 

[OrignlZ]

Waiting on hearing back from the Nevada DMV on this car, should hear back on anything they can legally give me this week.

In the meantime, I was over at my parents house helping my mom sort through photos and found another stash of Camaro pics. A few from when he had just bought it in Dec of 79, some mid-resotration with the unpainted cowl hood and before he had the chambered exhaust and finally a few more Car Craft shoot photos. Thought I'd share them with everyone.

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

There is a 1969 Z28 in the February 2024 Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine that is similar to the one once owned by your dad, but the white stripes on the rear of the Z28 are different.  The owner, Rich Fairservis of Chandler, AZ, also owns a 1967 & 1968 Z28 featured in the article.  Nice read, although it says that in 1968, the 302 engine had "four-bolt mains in the middle three bearings."

[FRANKTHECRANK]

Great story. Don't give up. My story is the opposite of most, I was searching for the original owner of my 68 Z28, instead of looking for a long lost car. But, even though I live in RI, and the car was originally purchased from a dealership in Tennessee,...I did eventually find and get in touch with the original owner, and was able to get a few pictures from him of the car when brand new.

I think, regarding your hesitancy if you do find him, if you get his address, just send a letter to him. Yes, the old snail mail, it's less threatening than a knock at the door, and less likely to never be seen, like if you send him an email and it goes to his spam folder.  A letter explaining your story, with a couple of copies of pictures of the car from back when your father owned it, would definitely ease the fear he might have.

[David K]

Frank is correct.  Nobody wants a cold call at the front door or phone.

[schlepcar]

  Ok guys,

    I think this can be done. I know it won't be free,but I dont think it would be expensive. I believe if that car is registered in the U.S. you could pay a licensed P.I. to locate it. The information is readily available to law enforcement through the VIN. I do not believe it is legal to track it down for the sake of curiosity but an investigator with a reason...Ie(you have some relevant documentation for the owner) can look it up . I believe it would take about ten minutes with a slow internet connection. If the car can NOT be located in this manner it is because it is no longer registered to be driven or it has been deported. I do not remember how long it takes to go out of system but I believe it is dependent upon the state it was last registered. I may as well say that it is a possibility that someone owns it and saw your posting but is not interested in selling or disclosing it to anyone(We all know people like this...).  If it could be found in this manner I would suggest having the investigator leave them a message with his/her info so the owner could contact them. If they have a 125K car in their garage they probably don't talk to just anyone about it....Good luck

[schlepcar]

  I just wanted to include the idea of intentions when talking to an investigator. They probably would need a legitimate reason to search for something not owned by the client.

[boomer632]

Private sector investigators do not have access to DMV files or records. Thats not to say that some private investigators may "ask a favor" from a LE contact.. if that LE contact was willing to risk his employment over said favor. DMV file queries require the person making the search to provide a reason for the search. If that reason was later found to be bogus, criminal charges could result. Not worth the risk of a career.   

[schlepcar]

  I don't believe it will likely be found DMV unless it has a current plate. I was thinking more like other databases that only law enforcement has access to. That is why you hire a licensed investigator because they are bonded in order to protect themself and others from fraudulent behavior. It may be as simple as an insurance company that currently holds a policy on it...We could not ever find it but they can. It was previously brought up to use the investigator but they will likely make you prove your position before agreeing to check it out. I believe in the scenario you suggest it would be the person checking confidential records that would require a reason to do so as much as the person asking. Sorta reminds of a "Rockford Files" episode where Rockford ticked of Dennis every week asking for a new favor.

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

I just talked to my friend who owned a 1968 Z28 in 1970.  I told him that I had asked someone in law enforcement if they could find out if his old Camaro was still around.  The individual said that they had access to the database, but there would need to be a valid reason to search for the data and any inquiry could be traced back to the requestor.  I doubt if the Z28 is still around as my friend sold it to a dealer for $1200 when he ordered a new 1973 Z28.  My friend did say that his 1968 Z28 has a M-21 transmission and had the standard distributor.

[OrignlZ]

There is a 1969 Z28 in the February 2024 Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine that is similar to the one once owned by your dad, but the white stripes on the rear of the Z28 are different.  The owner, Rich Fairservis of Chandler, AZ, also owns a 1967 & 1968 Z28 featured in the article.  Nice read, although it says that in 1968, the 302 engine had "four-bolt mains in the middle three bearings."

Thanks for the heads up on this! I went googling and saw this, once it's available from Hemmings I'm going to order it as a one off.

Great story. Don't give up. My story is the opposite of most, I was searching for the original owner of my 68 Z28, instead of looking for a long lost car. But, even though I live in RI, and the car was originally purchased from a dealership in Tennessee,...I did eventually find and get in touch with the original owner, and was able to get a few pictures from him of the car when brand new.

I think, regarding your hesitancy if you do find him, if you get his address, just send a letter to him. Yes, the old snail mail, it's less threatening than a knock at the door, and less likely to never be seen, like if you send him an email and it goes to his spam folder.  A letter explaining your story, with a couple of copies of pictures of the car from back when your father owned it, would definitely ease the fear he might have.

Great idea, and along the lines I was thinking of as well. I wouldn't want to just show up to someones front door or call their phone and tell them all this and how I got their contact info etc. It would be a lot to process and no doubt alarming, especially with the value and desirability of the car in question.

  Ok guys,

    I think this can be done. I know it won't be free,but I dont think it would be expensive. I believe if that car is registered in the U.S. you could pay a licensed P.I. to locate it. The information is readily available to law enforcement through the VIN. I do not believe it is legal to track it down for the sake of curiosity but an investigator with a reason...Ie(you have some relevant documentation for the owner) can look it up . I believe it would take about ten minutes with a slow internet connection. If the car can NOT be located in this manner it is because it is no longer registered to be driven or it has been deported. I do not remember how long it takes to go out of system but I believe it is dependent upon the state it was last registered. I may as well say that it is a possibility that someone owns it and saw your posting but is not interested in selling or disclosing it to anyone(We all know people like this...).  If it could be found in this manner I would suggest having the investigator leave them a message with his/her info so the owner could contact them. If they have a 125K car in their garage they probably don't talk to just anyone about it....Good luck

Private sector investigators do not have access to DMV files or records. Thats not to say that some private investigators may "ask a favor" from a LE contact.. if that LE contact was willing to risk his employment over said favor. DMV file queries require the person making the search to provide a reason for the search. If that reason was later found to be bogus, criminal charges could result. Not worth the risk of a career.   

As I expected, the Nevada DMV could not provide me with any information on the car. Not at all surprised, I read through all their laws and guidelines and giving out personal info outside of a LE inquiry or a court order is a no go. From what I read, I would agree that I don't think a PI would get it either unless they called in a favor which as mentioned is risky for the person running it. If that was the route I wanted to go I would just ask one of my LE family members to run the car, but I would never ask them to jeopardize their careers over this. It's also not how I would want to find the car, with an extreme invasion of privacy. Also to a point mentioned above, it's totally possible the person who owns this car doesn't want it known they own it, or doesn't share the same enthusiasm for car history that we do. And that is totally okay. It's a bummer, no doubt, but at least I can say I tried to find it and ran with any lead I could get. Sometimes that's the most you can do. None of this is to say I'm giving up or anything, and I still welcome any ideas or feedback from everyone on here. I'll keep plugging away and posting the story wherever people think it'll get some visibility. I love these cars, and even if I can't track this one down I'd still like to find one at some point to sink all my money in to haha. Again, I can't say thank you enough to everyone on here who has taken the time to throw in their .02, share stories of their cars and give advice on what route to go.