Put your hobnobs back in the cupboard, it's nobody on here

December 2008 i sold an ECU to a chap on another forum, he paid in full and i asked what it was for - turns out he'd had a really bad experience with another tuning company and they'd blown his engine and he was having it sorted with someone else.

He went public on this other forum with the problems he'd had and what was being done to sort it. He said he desperately needed a cylinder head as his was too badly damaged to be used again. I had one for sale and we agreed a deal.

Because he'd been financially wiped out already that month, it was agreed that he would pay a deposit on the head and the rest over a period of 3 months.

Long story short, i've had *some* money off him, but nowhere near the full amount. We're now 13 months down the line and i've had various stories about unemployment/credit crunch/recession/debts mounting up etc.

He still has the car (with a lot of money tied up in it!) and doesn't seem very forthcoming with the outstanding amount.

It's something i'd never normally do, but like a mug i took pity on him having had a shit run of luck and having already had a chunk of money out of him for the ECU figured he must have a good steady income to have been able to afford things so far...

I want to move things up a notch now and just wondered how things stood in terms of 'internet debt'.

I still have text messages/PMs etc. from him and i've got his home address. (I'm not going round with a baseball bat/to burn his house down/to rape his family before the usual suggestions start )

I just want to know if anyone has any experience of legally reclaiming a debt where there is no 'paper trail' as such?

Small Claims Court, Solicitors Letter etc?

Any suggestions?