Update! It was found by OPD very early Wednesday morning with a crackhead couple hanging out at a 7-11 off LB Mcloed. Other then the ignition cylinder and passenger door handle being messed up it is otherwise ok, just disgustingly dirty inside and out. They also messed up my head unit but I didn't really like it that much. All my tools are still there (including Milwaukee's, notably my 6 month old 1/2" M18 Fuel and battery I thought would be a goner for sure), except my leatherman raptor which isn't a big deal. I had some clothes in there that are gone and everything is generally just strewn around. It doesn't smell TOO bad. It will clean up.
I actually suspect it was stolen by someone else to tow something, and then dumped and re-stolen by these two. There is a extra two hitches, a big stake style ratchet and an extra 20 ton bottle jack in the bed.
This morning I paid the $250 tow yard fee and jammed the key halfway in and drove it 25 minutes home from downtown Orlando. I think this went about as well as it could have. 
Awesome I'm glad you got it back in ok shape
In reply to cruisermatt :
I'm amazed it was found!
I'm sorry to see it was returned with a messed up tailgate. Maybe insurance will replace/repair it.
Hey, we needed some good news!
Thanks! Glad that went as well as it did.
In reply to John Welsh :
It was already like that. those dents on the top are from my forklift and it actually looks decent when it has the black plastic trim on it. The rest of it is just dirt/finger print dust. The only exterior damage on the truck I can find is some scratched paint where the passenger door handle was pried off.
Mr_Asa
PowerDork
3/4/22 12:02 p.m.
cruisermatt said:
In reply to John Welsh :
It was already like that. those dents on the top are from my forklift and it actually looks decent when it has the black plastic trim on it. The rest of it is just dirt/finger print dust. The only exterior damage on the truck I can find is some scratched paint where the passenger door handle was pried off.
And you got some free tools. Other than the stress, about as happy an ending as you could hope for.
Maybe now is the time for some sort of noticeable decal down the side?
Many decades ago I had a Nissan pickup stolen by some runaways, recovered in Nebraska 2 days later.
they must have smoked about 100 packs of cigarettes in those two days !!
other then that the truck was gone, but 3 years later it still smelled of smoke.
glad you got it back
I'm psyched you got this back with minimal damage. Will your insurance cover the repairs needed? Stock stereos are notoriously expensive to replace so they will often offer you the cash equivalent to replace. Win!
That's awesome it was recovered. I'm surprised the tailgate was still there though. Def have your insurance pay for repairs and a deep cleaning detail. Don't want to happen across any drug paraphernalia.
John Welsh said:
In reply to cruisermatt :
I'm amazed it was found!
I'm sorry to see it was returned with a messed up tailgate. Maybe insurance will replace/repair it.
There is much to be learned from this man.
Where's the pink license plate frame?!?!
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
The plate is gone but the pink frame was in the bed! It will definietly be going back on with the new plate.
In reply to hobiercr :
The truck has a cheap JVC double din touchscreen I put in when I got the truck in 2017 (The radio was missing when I first got the truck). It was due for a speaker and head unit upgrade anyways.
mechanicalmeanderings said:
Many decades ago I had a Nissan pickup stolen by some runaways, recovered in Nebraska 2 days later.
they must have smoked about 100 packs of cigarettes in those two days !!
other then that the truck was gone, but 3 years later it still smelled of smoke.
glad you got it back
Someone stole a 1982 Mercury Capri from my side yard in 1994. About a year later it was found in Jackson, MI.
Funny thing is it had to have been trailered away from my house because the engine and transmission were in the garage. When recovered the car had a Mustang 5.0/T5, 8.8, later Fox red interior, turbines and a 2.5" exhaust. Since the insurance company already deemed it a loss they wanted $4500 to buy it back out and I didn't have the scratch.
Glad you got it back in pretty good condition ,
were they driving it around with no rear plate ?
In reply to californiamilleghia :
Better to bluff your way with a "Oh we just bought it. We're waiting for our DMV appointment." than to advertise that it's stolen with the original plates.
Matt congrats on getting it back.
In reply to californiamilleghia :
No idea.
So glad you got it back. It is mind-blowing to me how messy and gross thieves can be n such a short time.
and I'm shocked that your tools were all there. That makes no sense at all but super glad to hear
Mndsm
MegaDork
3/4/22 9:47 p.m.
Since I'm guessing they stole a trailer of some kind, and probably a big one with that truck- I kind of wonder what they stole with it
In reply to jfryjfry :
The meth heads probably tried to sell the tool to some people they're near (other meth heads) but no one had a need for them or a familiarity with using them.
In reply to Mndsm :
If you zoom in on the 3 way trailer hitch if looks like it's set to use the 2 inch ball typical for trailers under 6,000 lbs. To get to the 10,000 range it would typically call for the 2 5/16th size, big ball.
So upon further thinking and recollection - I am missing a Neiko 1/2" Impact socket set, one of the master sets with both shallow/deep and metric/SAE. At least that is very easy to replace, and I had borrowed the U-joint and one or two of the extensions out of it so now I have extras of those
And yes, I definitely think it was used to tow something. The mirrors were pulled out...
