kcgperformance

What started out as a trade of my 500 FWHP 360CI SBC for a running 2001 Z28 went bad when David decided to take my property to a reputable performance shop (who was unaware that he hadn't procured it legally), to have them install parts from my engine on his LO5 350 in his 91/92 Z28 without first completing the trade. Yep you read that right, it's called Theft By Conversion. And can be a Felony if the value of the property is more than a certain dollar number. The cost to replace my property is ~$16,000.00

Items involved.
Assembled 360CI SBC long block complete TB to Pan. AFR heads, Weiand TeamG intake and too many parts to list.
Disassembled LT1 T56 with factory Hurst shifter.
Holley HP 4BBL TBI stand alone fuel injection with MSD ProBillet Small HEI Distributor and required wiring.
March Accessory Drive 2 belt serp system, black Alternator and PS pump, Proform Aluminum Water Pump
Engine stand with castors.
HF 2 ton Engine Hoist with square Bore Engine Lift Plate.

David claims his dad SCRAPPED all of my property and the 2001 Z28. Well I've met David's father, Dave Griffin, and I don't believe him to be a stupid man. If anything they sold my property after picking what they wanted for themselves.

The shop owner told me David claimed to have paid $300 for my engine (he never gave me a cent). He also verified that the engine David brought him was indeed mine after I correctly identified what parts were in it, and sent him pictures of it taken in my garage last summer. He then contacted David and ceased working on David's car until David and I settled this matter in front of him, to which David decided to retrieve his car from the shop with the car still in pieces.

I've given David multiple opportunities to make this right, but he refuses. Claiming my engine was only worth a few hundred dollars, claiming Aluminum cylinder heads with Stainless Valves were "rusty" and "worthless". Then claiming that he was unemployed and that his 14 Camaro ss had been repossessed, and his 15 Sierra 1500 was "getting repossessed the next day" (May 14th) but Memorial Day weekend he showed up at the FBody Gathering in Atlanta driving his 14 SS.

He's proven himself to be a lying Thief. I'm done being nice about it.

tonys91rs

iTrader: (17)

ive known Kevin a long time. I've never known hi, to lie cheat or steal. I've been aware of this dispute a while. I know what has been said and in court.

That being said its only fair to hear David's side. I'm sure David wants to explain his side

So before there is name calling, accusations and empty threats lets hear it from David.

No excuses now

IROCZ1989

iTrader: (1)

Why would you send or give a motor with no money or trade exchanged? Thats classifieds 101. Never do that. He gives cash or trade at time of swap.

kcgperformance

Being that I've known David for several years I had no reason to believe he would rip me off. Secondly at the time my trailer was tied up with another car. I did agree to help him with wiring and plumbing on his car once the motor was installed in his 91, but he never even turned a bolt on his car to remove his old motor.

IROCZ1989

iTrader: (1)

Have u confronted him? Took your motor back? Id be knocking on his door right about now.

tonys91rs

iTrader: (17)

So David calls me and gets hostile. From what he listed and thinks is a blocked number. He claims he was found not guilty in court. Then threatens me. Let's get past that. Why call me and get hostile? Right here and now. Explain your side. No more he said he said. Post it right here for everyone to see. What was the deal you made with Kevin? Prove him wrong. If you are righteous then there is nothing to hide. There is no need for empty threats thats so far you demonstrated your word can't be kept.

grngryoutmyway

iTrader: (1)

So he is calling people and yelling at them, and making alt accounts, but not saying anything?

This is not incriminating at all.

kcgperformance

His Daddy called me and threatened to have me arrested for slander. Well the burden of proof is on him. I have documentation to back up my claims. So good luck with making the charge of slander stick.

They want me to take down this post, and I'd be happy to if David simply returns my property.

OCGA statute 44-12-193 states
44-12-193. When property held, issued, or owing in ordinary course of holder's business presumed abandoned


Except as provided in Article 17B of Title 10, all tangible and intangible property, including any income or increment thereon, less any lawful charges, that is held, issued, or owing in the ordinary course of the holder's business and has remained unclaimed by the owner for more than five years after it became payable or distributable is presumed abandoned, except as otherwise provided by this article. Property is payable or distributable for the purpose of this article notwithstanding the owner's failure to make demand or to present any instrument or document required to receive payment.

They want to claim that I abandoned my property, well I obviously did not. David himself made no effort to contact me after the 18th of September, had he informed me that the engine was an issue and had to be picked up, I would have found a way to. But the last message from him was him offering me a headliner and a fuel tank that I had no use for or interest in.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

Wow this is kinda the opposite he told me.... Said he traded the car for the motor straight up. Showed me pic of the motor on stand and wanted to sell me the holley efi unit. Then later told me you brought motor over with stand and hoist then left, not answering phone calls texts or whatever for months

kcgperformance

Just to make sure I'm understanding you correctly, he told you at first that it was a straight up trade (which is what I agreed to because he was getting the better end of the deal). Then later told you a different story? My phone records prove he never made any attempt to contact me after the 18th of September. Wouldn't be posting any of this if he had.

IROCZ1989

iTrader: (1)

This thread is weird to say the least? You have so many different scenerios. Why cant you go to his house and talk it over? Obviously if your trusted him that much to leave your motor with him there must have been a friendship at one time. Seems someone between the either of you two is not telling the whole truth,blatantly lying, or leaving out key details.

Story goes your trade motor for car. Your trailer is tied up so you cannot fulfill the trade in full. Obviously you trust him enough to feel at a later time you can retrieve the car. In the meantime he brings motor to builder to swap parts off it to another motor. This is where the story is making no sense. A fully built motor a machine shop can see. Why would you swap parts off a complete motor to a factory one for one thing? Two, why wouldnt he just swap it out? Was the motor junk? Maybe the machine shop opened it up and found issues? Thats why he swapped parts off it? And you went back and forth on this and deal went sour. In the meantime he got rid of the car you were supposed to pick up at later date because of money issues. And thats where you are now. Things seem fishy. Why would you trade such a good amount of good parts for a 2001 camaro? That car isnt worth 16000, not anywhere close. You have not posted any details of the trade car. None of this makes sense to be honest. What did machine shop say of the condition of the motor you traded? Id like to hear what his verdict of the engine condition was. Alot left out here for details. Btw Im not attacking you just want to see more info on deal.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

does david know what you do for a living? seems foolish to me....

i'm actually very interested to hear David's side of the story, and how he is justifying keeping the parts when payment was never rendered.

and yes, a lot of us were all close friends from other local GA messages boards from years ago. that's why this is so appalling.

kcgperformance

Ok, you make a fair point that there is something more to the story. I'll try to answer your questions as best I can in order.

I tried on multiple occasions to talk to him and sort this out. He ignored me. But I don't dare just "drop by" a gun owners home uninvited or unexpected.

As far as I knew I could trust him. I've known him for years, met his family, have multiple mutual friends. So yes I felt little concern at all about being able to get the car at a later time.

Yes he decided that he was going to take my engine and his car to a local speed shop and he only wanted to use the heads. This claim was made by the shop owner. He did say they found some water in one cylinder, but that it wasn't rusty. Since I had drained all the water from the water jackets after Dynoing the engine, and then kept it in dry storage until the day I took it to his house the only place water got into it was when he had it in his possession.

Why wouldn't he just swap it out? I'm guessing he knew I would be able to identify the whole motor, and anyone who knows me would be able to as well. So basically by using just the heads and maybe a few other internal parts maybe he felt he could hide it from me or make it hard for me to prove. Albeit this is just speculation.

Why would I trade all these good parts for an 01 Z28? Honestly, I wanted the LS1/4L60E to swap into my 84z. Complete donor car, half decent cloth interior, LS Fbody brakes for the 84. Engine and Body harnesses, complete HVAC which is MIA from the 84 (yes I know how much fab work is required to make it fit and work). This was about what I wanted to do with the 84. Understand that $16k is what it will cost me to replace my property exactly. This is based on separate quotes from 2 reputable Machine Shops to reproduce the engine exactly PN by PN and all required machine work. As well as the cost to replace all other items of my property that he had. I realize that sell price on used items isn't the same as cost to buy, so I thought a running LS1 Fbody donor car becomes something close to fair, especially when that's what I wanted/needed for the project in my garage.

As for what the speed shop said about my engine, they didn't really understand why he wanted them to take it apart because it had so many good parts in it. I guess it made more sense when I showed up after seeing a picture of his car on their FB page, and basically telling them part by part what was in it and that I didn't sell it to him for $300 like he had told them. Unfortunately they had made him collect the parts he wasn't having them install on his car, and the heads had been sent to a machine shop to be milled from 64cc to 59cc to compensate for his low compression pistons. So the verification was truly made when I sent pictures of my motor to the shop owner. He then called David and ceased work on David's car. David also called that shop owner threatening to ruin his reputation if he didn't do what he wanted done so the shop owner told him to come get his car. Which he did. In pieces.

I'm probably missing or forgetting something since I'm tired and need to get my kids to bed.

redneckjoe

so 9 months later you start this post?

did you ever get a title to the car you swapped for?

seems like a strange story.

i agree, this was a classifieds/trader 101 screw up. sometimes this is how friendships get ruined.

tonys91rs

iTrader: (17)

David made it clear he was found not guilty in court. I understood this to be a magistrate court case. A civil case, not a criminal Case. I think he meant the court found in his favor.
I've seen this before a lot. It does not mean he's right or innocent. It means Kevin's case was not strong enough to meet the burden of proof at that time. Because of recent events and those responding or providing information and testimony Kevin's case will return to court and the burden of proof made.

So why post here? Why not let everyone see and know and judge for themselves. That's what this post section is about. Or maybe friends can work it out and put it behind them. At the least, warn others so they are not the next victim

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

2 guys make a trade: 1 guy has all the stuff and 1 guy has nothing.




Quite a list,.............

Even if kcgperformance didn't call / visit / write at all for a couple months after delivering his part of the trade he still should have had what-ever he traded for waiting for him when he did make contact again. If his engine/parts were in poor condition,.... then they should have been waiting for him in a pile instead of what he traded for; Friends or not Friends.

Pretty hard for me as an 'outsider' to see this deal ( as described from one side so far ) as anything other than "unfair".

kcgperformance

Quick Update:
David sold the 01 Z28 for $3400 on or about December 29th, I stumbled upon a FB post with photo evidence of it being listed on the 27th of Dec and sold on the 29th.

Also he sold the Holley stand alone at some point after January 26th, when it was listed as for sale. again all of this has been him making money at my expense. I'm certain he has found other ways to move my parts that would be more difficult for me to find.

If anyone has purchased parts from him since last December, please pm me, I'm not going to seek legal action against anyone, or try to take my parts back, just trying to build a case against him for my lawyer. As of now I'm out a very substantial amount of money in parts, and my engine hoist.

tonys91rs

iTrader: (17)

last week I spoke with a few of the guys at the Summit show about it when they were asking about how you were doing. They have some more info about all this. It also seems he's lost a lot of face with everyone because he won't make things right.
What can you expect from a lying thief.
I'll pm you the info.