Hot Rods Price of original parts, just venting

I know supply and demand dictate price but seems to me prices have escaped the average home garage builder in some respect. I am not in any way hurting, but really, parts are getting harder to find but when found prices are way out of hand . Frankly most of us are not in the $100K plus car market but take pleasure in fabricating our own parts and doing our own work when possible. Most don't have endless money to throw at our cars. Often it takes years to gather the funds and parts to complete that dream car. But come on, $1800 for a 32 radiator shell with "patina" in other words rusty! Saw another the seller wanting $2000 and was a rude jackass. Same guy wanted $500 for a 40 steering column mast. How about $700 for an original 32 radiator that looks to have been in a demo car. And another, $20o0 for a 34 shell needing chrome plating ! How about those gauge panels for $1500-$5000. Guess someone is buying those parts. Must be the 1-800 "buy a hot rod .com" crowd.
Swap meets seem to be a waste of time and energy as well. There must not be a Camaro, Chevelle, GTO or Mustang left on the road with all the original spare parts I see at swap meets.
Traditional parts must be horded away in some gigantic warehouse somewhere. We all know someone with these parts hanging on walls and above old barns and garages. Can't get them to sell no matter what. Know of a 8BA motor sitting, fully rebuilt,with three 97's Edelbrock heads,mainfold, Isky cam,4 inch stroke, etc. Been sitting for ten years,won't sell it regardless of price. Has a stash of flathead speed parts all over his garage, won't sell a thing. Owner is in his very late 70's Go figure.

 

I agree that there are a lot of guys who seem to get off by offering parts for sale for way more than they're worth (to the guys that want to actually use them).

Then again, if you get creative and ask around, you can usually find what you need to build a decent car, for a decent price. I spent less than $15k building a 9 second AWB Chevy II, with mostly period stuff, and a blown big block.

I have no trouble walking right past the dreamers....

 

I feel your pain,but...hear me out some.. just loaded the truck for a swap tomorrow at o'dark thirty. I had to think about it long and hard of my prices,,,,,,,, Some rare and tuff to find. Some bought and not used,some used,and not needed...... So- what im gonna get at is this- What do you base your buying price at? what you'll give? What you think is a good price for you?
My stuff is basically recycled money= I have to re-coupe. Sorry you don't agree with prices in your range,or think are outrageous,but you don't have to pay...... I will deal with that in a few hours....
It is what it is..... we all cannot score that "deal" for what we seek all the time.
Sure- there are finds beyond......
Right place at right time? possibly....
Times are a changing constantly , and it is what it is...... Just because someone wants 2k for a 1k part,doesnt mean a thing.... maybe he's high (lol), but, if you have to search high and low for "your" part.
I'm just stating here........
If you think it's ridiculous, just walk on by...........

 

I'm with you. Let's not forget the price of new parts, paint, tires and the cars themselves. Crazy prices even for rust buckets. How can we expect young turds to have a interest in classics with prices so high. Once upon a time, it was cheap hobby.

 

Agreed, but there are some of us who will help each other out, but there's this as well, I sell you a 32 grille shell for reasonable so you can build, you figure out what you can get for it, and make some cash off my back. Happens all the time, especially at swap meets, best thing is to hang with a group, people with your same attitude, swap or buy-sell amongst yourselves as much as you can, swap favours, and remember, after all it never was cheap to build a car, we just do the best we can. Good luck.

 

You wanna see what prices are like outside the US.
As to those who have parts stashes from years back, they had more foresight than the rest of us.
I know I shoulda keep a lot of stuff that I gave away over the years.
Now days, even knockoff copies fetch high prices.
With more people getting into this hobby, its inevitable that prices will just keep getting higher.

 

Kiwijeff, as you say, more folks getting in on the "traditional" or back to the cool old stuff type of hot rodding, will cause a raise in parts value eventually. This "trad" movement started out some 15-20 years ago as a reaction to the high cost (and often poor taste) of the billet laden, gotta have the latest gizmo, double throw down, look at how much I spent type of street rodding.

So now the back to how they used to do it movement, with an emphasis on NOS or refurbished original parts, steel bodies, era specific engines, etc, has also started to mature. In a way, it was inevitable, but I do think hot rodding is all the more interesting because of it. To stay in it maybe requires more creativity in how you use what you can afford rather than looking to buy what is out of your price range.

I don't bother to look at '32 stuff; its out of range for my budget. Model A's will do just fine. You can't hardly find early Chevy bodies in the southeast, and those prices are climbing. I wanted a GM coupe or roadster for a GMC six, couldn't find a Chevy, but I got a good price on some '31 Caddy and '29 Buick parts that will make a nice, roomy coupe. Get creative! K6



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Fortunately or unfortunately, it is all about supply and demand.
If you want to build a specific body style to a particular era you will require to have the correct parts. Sometimes to get those correct parts takes a lot of hunting, and the more popular the higher cost.
But if a guy has 2k on a 1k part and sells, then the new cost will be 2k.
I have a great idea, I will stay dicking around with stock bodied Fords, and hey everyone the new black is to build a Hi-Tech Plastic Billet Mod Rod from all the new junkyard gems, those parts are real cheap.

 

Look at the prices of Smith an Wesson revolvers!!!!!!! Same deal.

 

I gave a friend a Model A radiator shell I had hanging in my garage because I knew he was going to use it on a car he was building. If someone just happened to see it and want to buy it I would have quoted above retail.

If he had stopped to talk a bit and I believed his story about building a car and having a hard time finding this piece, I would have offered it to him for less, or offered to trade it.

 

All these opinions are really good reading, I must admit that I agree with both sides and I quit building a 32 roadster because the original parts would make the car just to expensive to build. I did buy an original 32 grille assy. from Deuce Daddy Don in Oregon for $1750 and its was almost perfect. I think another reason that original parts have gone up is because all the after market parts just don't fit well and have to be cut up so much to make the part work. In spite of all this, everyone's attitude is so good that I can live with the situation and will do as some say, adjust so the hobby will still be fun and innovative.

 

It's the same on both sides of the swap table really. I offered a 29 Packard distributor at Hershey last year. Well above average condition, no stripped threads, no slop in the shaft, an original tag that looks so nice it could almost be mistaken for a repro, but it's not. $100 seemed to me like a "favor" asking price. 2 guys looked at it and 1 offered me 1/2, to which I replied "...no thanks Mike, or are you Frank?". The next guy got all shitty with me because it didn't have a breaker plate or cap. The caps are probably $150 by themselves. Someone will need it and appreciate the price. On the other hand I never seem to have any luck getting those uber-high prices for stuff that seems all too common on other tables. Keep looking and keep networking, you'll get what you need soon enough.

 

You want some cheese with your whine?

Any time a newbie comes into a hobby late to the game, he's going to have to pay the entry price. I agree that original old parts are expensive. But so is original old gold. Or original old diamonds. Vintage speed parts, or 1932 Ford parts are just like gold. If you don't like the prices you might want to take up stamp collecting.

Take your time and go to the swaps, and network with other like-minded hot rodders. This ain't gonna be easy.

 

I've bought quite a few NOS parts over the years for my 46 Olds and paid what I consider a fair price, given condition and rarity; where else can you get them? I've had offers to buy some of my parts for a lot more than what I paid. Thanks but where else would I find similar in this condition for a fair price. e.g. NOS Filco finned coil & NOS adjustable Allstate regulator, both in OEM boxes. You've got to be in the right price at the right time.

 

Decide on a price, keep looking, stick to your price, keep looking. The day after you fork over 2k for an original part is the day you'll find a better part for $500, ask me how I know. Some times people have a garage full of junk and just want it all gone.

 

You can also thank the thing you are sitting in front of! With the internet everybody that has parts looks them up and sees what someone else sold them for and them matches the price or bumps it up.

 

I've been scouting up outside trim parts for my Ford. I've come across some NOS parts in the wrappers for great prices. The crown jewel is the trunk emblem/ lock assembly, new with the Ford tag on it for $125. I've overpaid for a few things a bit, but in the end it averages out just by being patient.

 

I'm old enough to remember buying what we all cherish as hot rods when a used '40 Ford or '50 Chevy could be had for $100. You drove them until they died and bought another.
You get into the hobby because you enjoy building and bettering your skills, if you stay in long enough you will learn to appreciate other types of builds and while waiting for that unique part to appear you build an off topic car. If you focus on one thing you will miss out on some great fun.
I have two projects working now, a '40 Chevy sedan that will be a long distance cruiser with all bells and whistles and a '83 AMC Spirit with a 400SBC and Tremec T56. Totally different cars with different uses but equally fun builds.

 

Yes, there are two sides to the table. I offered (granted, needing restored) 61 Pontiac steering wheel to someone for $80. He said he could buy them for a lot less. (I knew that wasn't true) and said, O.K. go ahead. I listed it on eBay and it sold for $200.

Do I understand the argument that a cracked and faded steering wheel at $80 is a lot of money? Absolutely. Comparatively though it was a great deal.

 

It all depends on what you're building, how big a pile you buy and how much stuff you sell off, or continue to buy and flip . My 1930 Roadster and the '29 Steelback projects have about $1,000. invested in them at this point in time. Bob

 

Sounds just like my wife...Bitch,bitch,bitch...I dont ever read complaints about the price of beer

 

Ha need to think outside the box a little bit.

I have a bought lots of hot rod stuff at garage sales, and boat swap meets. And for what amounts to pennies on the dollar.

Passed on a full set of near new wide whites last weekend for $200 for four. But they were 14"

Deals are out the. You just need to look.

 

Bookkeeping is the problem, I loose interest 6-12 months into a project. I still think you could buy the right pile of crap with a few needed parts sell off the rest and keep reinvesting selling and buying and selling and buying and wind up with a car for short money. Bob

 

Inflation is a bitch.

 

The beauty of a free market is that you have some control over prices. If it's too expensive, you simply don't buy it. If you're paying more than it's worth...well...it just became worth whatever you paid.

Granted, some parts are a lot harder to find than they used to be and high demand and low supply makes people willing to pay more. I do see a lot of people on fishing expeditions though. Just looking for that sucker to pay several times what the going price is. I have to laugh sometimes. I saw someone the other day that wanted $400 for a used Cal Custom aluminum oil pan. To me, that's only worth $75-$100 max. Obviously, I passed.

On the other hand, as prices in general rise, whatever you have stashed away may be worth more too. Turn it into gold and use the gold to buy what you need.

 

The OP is just another example of the Double Standard. He, as the Buyer, is unhappy with the current market value he is being asked to pay for an item he wants.....but if he, the Buyer, were instead the Seller, he would ask as much for the item as he believed the market would bear.

You can't expect to have it both ways.

Ray

 

Get in on the new market now.....start hoarding Daewoo, Hyundai, Honda and Toyota parts before restoring them is all the rage! You will be able to name your price in 30 years.

 

Prices have to be somewhat high, to make listening to the whining of cheapskates worth dealing with. I'd almost rather go to the dentist, than sell at a hot rod swap meet.

The hot rod & custom hobby is not cheap. It never was. There will never be Socialized Hot Rodding.

 

I get tired of taking my parts to swap meets with fair prices marked on them only to be offered less than half of asking price. There are too many guys trying to build traditional cars thinking they can buy parts at '50's prices. If you want to play, you have to pay. Simple as that. I have the good fortune to have bought parts decades ago for my own projects.

 

do you go to every swap meet within driving range? do you get there at 6:00 with a flashlight? you have to put out a little effort to get the good deals. especially if you are building a popular car.