Advice on getting information from a former owner

[CopoFan]

I think many of you already know some of the story behind Ribbon COPO... and the fact that we have been in touch with every owner since 1970. The one who owned it from 1970-1978 immediately told us this was originally a 427 car, but he bought it from an insurance company as a theft recovery, minus motor, trans and wheels. He installed a 396/4spd out of a 67 SS Chevelle, which it still has in it today. (He bought the COPO after his 69 SS396 Chevelle, which he had ironically put a 427 in, was stolen). He also put the ribbon paint job on the COPO, and painted the entire underneath in a silver/cobweb paint scheme.

Since 1995, while my brother, and then friend, owned the car, they talked to this guy 4 times at his business, all pleasant conversations, lots of memories shared by him, etc. They even took the car there a few times and offered him the keys, he declined, but stood there and stared at it for a long time... like a long lost family member. They even showed him a rod bearing we kept when we rebuilt the motor... showing him the fact that it was dated 1971, back when he rebuilt it.

He mentioned that he still has a box, pictures and "stuff", in his basement. He said he'd bring it up to work and give a call... but never followed through. He also mentioned that if the car is ever for sale, he wants first chance to buy it, and was a bit disappointed when my brother sold it to my friend back in 1997. The last time they saw him was in 1999. He either has no incentive to dig up the old box of stuff and bring it to work, or probably just forgets all about it.

So the question is... what can I entice this guy with? What if he found a build sheet while painting the car and threw it in this box? What if he has documentation from the insurance company about the original owner or original drivetrain? I guess the old saying "money talks" may come into play... but I don't feel like paying a ton of money for a couple of old photographs. Another thought I had was to offer x dollars for pics and misc info, and yyy dollars for anything proving the car's history.

The other train of thought... if he knows what he could get out of an original COPO, and has the information to prove it, why help me at all?

I haven't started ripping the interior apart for a build sheet yet... partially because I don't have high hopes, and partially because the weather is nice.

I just treated her to an oil change, valve adjustment, plugs, shifter adjustment, etc... and she's itching for more driving.

Thanks,
Bob