PLEASE READ: SANDED & RESTAMPED NUMBERS!

[etwd]

ALERT!! 1968 Camaro RS Z-28Warning!!
Chevy Camaro RS Z-28 - bought from Future Classics / Golden Classics of Lakewood, New Jersey (they use both names.) An official legal source has confirmed that the engine and transmission numbers have been sanded and restamped. If you are considering buying a car from Future Classics / Golden Classics of Lakewood, New Jersey, please contact me first. Email me for details

Or call me @ (949) 457-2532

Thank You!
Paul Giordano - CA

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Oh no, not again!! 'Slick' Nick pumps out another one!! Is the the blue one that was on the showroom floor over the past couple of years?
M

[Edited by YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY (06-15-2001 at 02:33 PM).]

[bkhpah]

I have been following the adventures of this car on the Team Camaro web site. It is not a good idea to buy a car site unseen. You should look at it yourself or at least hire an expert to look at it. I have seen the cars that this dealer sells. I would not take one as a gift..BKH

[bowtie3168]

I replied right after the Atlantic City Auction about this "company" they were marketing a 1969 Camaro ZL1 that had a Los Angeles vin # and a 1969 Yenko Camaro, color: Black exterior/Deluxe houndstooth interior. When I confronted the seller about the cars being bogus he justified his actions by saying that the cars were being offered at a more reasonable price than the "real things". I went there to look at an "all original" 1969 RS Camaro Z28 that came complete with a very unoriginal intake manifold, "Factory Hedman Headers, 1967 Alt, wrongly dated trans, blue anodized roller rockers, and "factory" chambered exhaust running into a "Flowmaster" mono muffler. Hmmmm.............

Andrew

[Belair62]

They must have been built at the special Cheech and Chong factory !

[NC Guy]

Buyer Beware!
As mentioned, hire a expert to evalute the car before plunking down the BIG $$. I've seen many restamped/bogus cars and parts throughout my time.
I recently saw a VERY BOGUS Canadian 68 Z28 pass the border into Ohio. I didn't have the heart to tell the guy.
Gezzz...

[MikeA]

Companies like this is why potential buyers MUST learn everything they can about a car they are interested in buying. This site is great because I feel I have learned alot about Yenkos and other Supercars. Thanks!

MikeA

[Casey Marks]

Well boys, it wasn't a Chevy, but I can tell you from PERSONAL experience that Golden Classics is the biggest scam going.

I was asked to check the numbers and authenticity on a 1970 440-6, 4-spd Road Runner. Plum Crazy, black interior, Dana 60 rear, blah, blah, blah. The unfortunate part was that the guy brought the car over to my shop AFTER he had given them a SIGNIFIGANT downpayment, and the remainder was in a certified check in the mail. As soon as I opened the hood, I could smell a rat. The car was sold as a complete *Numbers Matching* 440-6bbl RR. The center carb was a 1969 coded carb, and the two outboard carbs were '71's - - nice start .... The engine had two different casted cylinder heads - - one 906, and one 346. Most Mopar BB heads are not externally identifiable EXCEPT the 346 heads. They have two *humps* in them that are very visible without pulling a valve cover. One head with, one head without... http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/crazy.gif The inner fenders had been cut for headers at some point. The car comes with front discs, and the only way to get those on a B-body Mopar is to have power brakes. This car mysteriously had a manual master cylinder with some hoaky plate that it was bolted to. Wrong radiator - - some Murray's one-size-fits-all replacement. The engine pad on the pass side by the pan rail was going to be the tell-tale. As soon as I put a flashlight to it, I could tell this was a fake - - and not even a good one !! The pad where the VIN is supposed to be had obviously been *ground* down with a grinder and sandpaper rolls. You know when you get caught in an area with those, they kinda put little divits in the surface that your grinding ??? This *machined* pad looked like the ocean. The stamps that were used were no where near what a factory Chrysler stamp was. I showed the owner no less than (5) engines ranging from a 68 383 to a 74 400 that ALL used the same type and font stamp. This wasn't even close. Trans - wrong - - numbers no where near what they were supposed to be. At this point, the owner was pissed !! I asked if he wanted me to stop ..... We kept going.... Dana 60 - ??. Numbers completely ground off - - unreadable.

We tore the seats out looking for a broadcast sheet - nothing. AND THEN, to add insult to injury, we decided to decode the body tag. Come to find out, this *Numbers Matching* Plum Crazy 6bbl RR was actually BLACK !!! At that point, we just stopped ...... The guy immediately called, and somehow got the Certified Check cancelled. Called Golden Classics (via his lawyer) to have them refund the deposit, and come pick up the car. After about 3 weeks of screwing around, he got everything squared away, but not without some major grief.

Now.........SHAME on the guy for not doing the research BEFORE he had the time and money invested. But ....... that type of fraud (yes FRAUD) is absolutely inexcusable !!! It would have been one thing if he paid $10-12k for the car, but he paid the going rate for an original 6bbl RR (not cheap !!)

Sorry for the long-winded story, but that whole debacle got (and still gets) me wound up !!

OH YEA - - to make matters worse, that was one of the cars that had a pic taken of it for the article in MCR about buying musclecars from dealers, etc........ http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/crazy.gif

[Chevy454]

Casey:

As I was reading your post I thought you were going to say that this car was for you...something about "wanting to be like Mike"! Wowk that is! j/k! Good to hear your friend got his money back...kind of makes it the best ending possible to a sad story. I bet he is a lot more careful now, though!

Andrew:

Sounds like a pretty good offer! Maybe you should put up a billboard or something near by the dealer offering your services, so NO ONE gets taken!

[bowtie3168]

Gentlemen,
I forgot to mention that the dealer that is the topic of our discussion is located less than 25 miles from my home. If anyone has any questions about previewing one of the cars that this "used car salesman"(please visualize a plaid polyester suit, big cheap cigar, and "have I got a deal for you" coming from his mouth.)please ask, I would be more than happy to take some time out of my schedule to make a quick preview inspect so that you do not travel all the way out here to look at a "L.A. built" ZL1, or your "black exterior/deluxe houndstooth int" '69 Yenko or a '67 "Nickey" (built in Queens by a guy named "Nickey", YES THAT IS TRUE!) or a 69 RS Z28 "all original" complete with newer and older parts than the car. I will be more than happy to save you a trip from 2500 miles away, I offer this as a courtesy, not as a billable service!

Andrew

We all need to look out and protect the interests of our club and its members.

[Edited by bowtie3168 (06-22-2001 at 10:22 AM).]

[bowtie3168]

I wanted to make a suggestion to everyone. If we all try to "look out for one another" we can really "put a dent" in the "wheeler dealings" of these charlatans. We should try to use our connections (like the ones we have in this club)to help one another to knock these phoneys out of the musclecar market. If somebody was interested in a car out here in NJ, I would try to take a quick look at it to see if it was even worth looking at. Before making a purchase I would recommend that the buyer hire a true expert, here are some examples, for a Yenko Camaro: Brian Henderson, for a Yenko Duece: Marlin Spotts, for a Camaro Z-28 Jerry MacNeish. I cannot imagine spending any money over $10,000 without having the peace of mind knowing that the car is REAL.

Andrew

[Kurt S]

Hate to say this story is repeated all the time. Just look at the camaros.net board. "I just bought this 69 RS Z for $$$$ and want to decode the tag and engine. X44, T0311TCH."

Ummm, wouldn't it be better to ask before you bought it??
And after finding over 30 1st gens in 2 years with swapped trim tags, ask and I'll make sure the VIN and trim tag look right.

[Mr70]

There is a Buisness over here in "Northern Illinois" that is doing the same thing with his cars.
I frequent the Team Chevelle sight also and a young kid just bought a "numbers Matching" Cortez Silver 1970 L-78 Chevelle convertible for $70,000.00.
He asks if anyone can help him Authentic the car.Again why he does this AFTER he pays for the car and brings it home to Atlanta is beyond me.
I know right away what car this is.It was in Iowa in 1994 in the Auto Trader for 33k or best offer.
I went to look at the car.I didn't know Taiwan made smog equipment and other big block parts in 1970?
It was framed off and had the wrong numbers on the block.They restamped it with the Body Sequence number off the cowl tag.The trans was not original,nor the rear end.
The date code on the block was after the car was built.
The dealer we will call "Tony",Had bought this car from the Iowa seller and relisted it for $155,000.00.He was claiming it to be 1 of 8 made.It sat in his showroom for 6 years.He bought the remaining strip mall stores next to him to enlarge his Car Buisness so he needed cash.He graciously came down on the price of this car. http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/crazy.gif
Last I heard the new car owner was seeking legal recourse.From what I hear he has to get in line.
As stated before,this is inexcusable http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/frown.gif.

[Edited by mr70 (06-22-2001 at 02:21 PM).]

[etwd]

YENKO DEUCE,

I don't know if the car is the same one that you're referring to, but the car has definitely been frauded. Is there a way to place digital pictures of the numbers on this site?

The body work on the hood, roof, not to mention the rest of the car is quite bad. The roof and hood look like bags of walnuts

[Joe]

All you guys are right about having the #s checked out by a Pro. But sometimes good people just want to trust others because they think the person there dealing with is Professional. I think they use the sales Pitch there "it's an investment " "you can't lose "
Anyway I looked at a rag top 70 SS chevelle that was a total resto car . Anyway I was going to buy the car for 7,500 left the deposit, and went to the bank. It was a saterday and because of the summer traffic I didn't make it there in time. I called the sales men and told them I would be back on monday in the AM.
Well monday came and I went up with my $$$$ only to find out he sold the car.
I was fit to be tied .
after getting my deposit back.I went to a friends body shop to vent only to the see car there. Thats All I needed to see that day , a slap in the face again,lol.
When I told him the story he told me the guy paid 10,000 for the car .

[etwd]

Just an update w/ the infamous DeMartino brothers, i.e., Future Classics / Golden Classics - Lakewood, New Jersey.
My Attorney, Mr Edmund Glasner, filed suit yesterday, Monday, July 23rd. DeMartino has removed his first Attorney from the case and has hired another.

The introduction letter from Mr. DeMartino's new Attorney - Mr. Louis S. Scalzo, to my Attorney is rather amusing; one of the paragraphs in particular:

"Finally, your client has been consistently engaging in defamatory activities with regard to this matter. Your client has published defamatory accusations on the internet; and, consistently published defamatory accusations in the Ashbury Park Press. Your client is clearly acting out of malice as he openly engages in this scheme of product disparagement. I must recommend that he immediately cease such tortious behavior fueled by malice.

Obviously, Mr. Scalzo has not been clued in to the fact that there is an Official Report that is on the desk of District Attorney - Scott Stevens of New Jersey and Kent Mattson w/ Consumer Affairs in New Jersey.

I received an interesting email this morning from a person named Ken in a neighboring city near Golden Classics. One of the nicknames from individuals that know the Muscle Car Dealership call them (and I quote this) "GOLDEN PLASTICS".

Please beware of their operations...

Thanks for your time,
Paul Giordano - CA

[bowtie3168]

Paul,
I just want to let you guys know that I consider this type of buisness dealing a black eye on all of us from the Garden State. Keep us posted!

Andrew

[etwd]

Bowtie,
I plan on keeping everyone up-to-date on this one!

I wish everyone could get a feel for the way they conduct business. Maybe this email, which I received from them on May 10, 2001, can give some indication:

"What an asshole you sound like a little baby!"

Or how about this one I received on May 8, 2001:

"Big Mistake Buddy that is slander! My lawyer will have letter out this week! ABSOLUTELY NO PROOF! YOU MUST A REAL NUTJOB!"

Paul Giordano - CA

[Edited by etwd (07-24-2001 at 04:41 PM).]

[Belair62]

Well at least I wasn't alone....we were farting around on anotherpost about something or other and I posted:"that car must have been built at the Cheech and Chong plant"....a day later I got a note saying "Cheech and Ching plant...is that where your TURD CLONE was built" !!! Kind of an amusing e-mail....I don't even think I was referring to that dealership but he must have taken offense...Clone yes,and openly a clone...but never a TURD CLONE !!!

[Charley Lillard]

Can you tell which is my car and which is Belairs car ? http://members.aol.com/clill8567/trda.jpg

[MikeA]

Charley,

Denis should not have told you how to post pictures! http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif

PS: I think your lawn mower blade needs to be sharpened.

[Edited by MikeA (07-25-2001 at 06:36 AM).]

[Edited by MikeA (07-25-2001 at 06:54 AM).]

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Paul;
I re-read this entire post just as a refresher, and see your prior post on the digi-pics. If you email them to me I can post them onto this thread. I think we all would like to see them, they would be worth a million words.

The legal jargon that Golden Plastics' ambulance chasing lawyer is tossing around is making me mist up with sympathy!! I believe 'slick nick and his posse' were at Super Chevy on Sunday and had a conversation with Brian. Funny how everyone has similar stories on this guy.

I still get fired up when I remember my visit to that rathole, and watched them swindle some kid and his parents into an '72 LS? Chevelle. When I offered to assist the boy's father by explaining where the stampings were and how to decode them, 'slickster' wisked me away to the 'showroom' out back where there was a '69 Yenko Clone Camaro (the same one at super chevy 3 years ago without a trim tag). How can you sum it up in one word? LOSER!!

Andrew:
I wonder if he owned the other 'classic' dealership in Bridgeport, NJ that mysteriously burned to the ground several years ago?

M

[etwd]

In the transmission picture, you can see the Flat Silver spray paint running parallel to the pad. Even a novice, such as myself, could identify this botched job.

Coincidentally, if you look towards the bottom of the die-cast numbers (transmission), there is a discoloration where the Detectives removed a swatch for their report.

[etwd]

YENKO DEUCE,
I just emailed you the pictures.

Thanks,
Paul Giordano

[whitetop]

Charlie
Tell us, you do have a dog don't you?....
Just wanted to make sure where these turds originated...
whitetop

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Here's some pics from Paul:

http://www.boomspeed.com/yenko/68z28c.JPG

http://www.boomspeed.com/yenko/68z28b.JPG

http://www.boomspeed.com/yenko/68z28a.JPG
M

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I don't think the Muncie transmissions were stamped with the A, B, or C in 1968, I think that started in '69. The restamps are an atrocious looking job nonetheless!
M

[etwd]

YENKO DEUCE,
Do you have any suggestions on any other sites that I can post messages to warn unsuspecting buyers. I am currently advertising on Cars-on-Line under 68 Camaros (please check this ad out)

http://www.cars-on-line.com/68chev5581.html

and in the "Camaro Tech" Forum; and "Camarosforsale.com".

Thanks,
Paul

[Jeff H]

Geez, not too obvious of a restamp. The letters aren't even close to lining up and they forgot the A, B or C for the M20, M21 or M22. The engine VIN stamp is even worse.

My mistake on the A,B, or C. As you can tell, I'm more focused on the 69's.

I can see a dealer claiming that they didn't know that a car they took on consignment was a fake. But, what is the service they are providing then if they don't take the time to verify and validate their inventory? At the least, this car should have been advertised as "questionable stamping" or something to that effect. Let alone the fact that they had sold this car the previous year as well.

[Edited by Jeff H (07-27-2001 at 09:53 AM).]

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Paul;
I don't know of any other sites offhand, but would look at the 'links' section of this site for potentials. I met with Terry Shaw yesterday regarding an appraisal on my car, he brought me up to date on your situation. Best of luck with 'slick nick'!!
M

[SS427]

etwd
Another site is www.camaros.org (http://www.camaros.org) (Camaro Research Group) and assuming you were refering to Camaro Tech as www.camaros.net (http://www.camaros.net) (Team Camaro) They both would be very interested in hearing about this.

This could become common practice once a fraud is identified.

[etwd]

Thanks!

Paul

[MikeA]

Paul,

Good luck! I hope everything works out in your favor. Thanks for posting this information.

Mike

[etwd]

2:00pm, Friday, August 10, 2001:

The DeMartino's, owners of Future Classics / Golden Classics - Lakewood NJ, hired a car repossession firm, based in Anaheim, CA, to take back the Camaro. The firm's owner, called me and told me that he thought that "something was fishy" with DeMartino's story. He stated that he had been in business for (32)-years and knew that something was wrong.

These guy's are truly entertaining! I'll continue to update, as the story unfolds...

Paul Giordano - CA

[Edited by etwd (08-10-2001 at 04:35 PM).]

[Edited by etwd (08-10-2001 at 04:59 PM).]

[Camaroinaz]

Just surfed the Hemmings site, and they have a long list of "rare" Camaros to offer. All are listed as restored, numbers matching, etc. The are using the Future Classics name in the ad. The ad was posted on 8-09-01.

[etwd]

Camaroinaz,
I'm working with Hemmings.com right now. They have all of the information, including the OCATTF report.

Once a judgment has been made against them, Future Classics will be history on their site!

I'm counting the days....

Thanks Again,
Paul