How could they tear the car apart like that...
and the owner does not even notice when they put it back together?
shareThey literally stripped the car, there is no way that could have been the same Lincoln. Especially given the timing of when those guys arrived to claim it. The sergeant at the desk said they see "4-500" cars a day, so I suspect police found an identical Lincoln, then swapped the plates and drugs into that car.
"We used to stack fu#ks like you five feet high in Korea, use ya for sandbags."
There's a long thread below about this subject ("Stripping the Lincoln. The real deal.") It covers most of your questions.
shareThat is an informative thread, but it applies mostly to the actual story, and the thought process behind William Friedkin's decision to feature an event (the heavy handed stripping and supposed reassembly) along an improbable timeline. In the movie, the reassembly appears to take place in no time at all. So a second, identical vehicle would be the only rational scenario according to how it appears in the movie.
"We used to stack fu#ks like you five feet high in Korea, use ya for sandbags."
"so I suspect police found an identical Lincoln, then swapped the plates and drugs into that car. "
I suspected that too. They'd have to swap also the locks. Would be suspicious if the keys don't fit.