wow, really? part prices

[mtdave2]

Really? $500 for a tach dash? I have decided to give my old longhorn some love and fixing things that are long over due and am doing the normal "since I have it apart" thing. I am shocked at prices! they were not this high a few years ago! lol

It reminds me of Harley Davidson, before the 90s they were relatively inexpensive, or at least inline with other bikes. then the fad hit, and all the rich doctors and lawyers thought Harleys were cool, and dam near priced me out of riding. I still have my 95 heritage mostly because I am not spending the sort of cash they want for the new ones. hrumph!

Same seems to be happening to my trucks now. my very first ride was a 72 chevy long step, and I have had one ever since. slowly the "world" has found me, again! Parts are just stupid high, i spent $500 on a rewiring kit, and sighed. Ripping everything apart I now have a list of things I would like to get, unfortunately for me they are all seaming high demand parts, for example AM/FM radio, Tach dash.

I now have a need for skiing vehicle for me and my friends to get to the mountains, and like you guys, my thought goes to a 4x4 suburban. so I start looking and was shocked again at prices....I keep asking...really? ugh

It is not like I am broke, I could buy everything I am wanting but dam! the reason i have some money is that I am frugal. It is the nature progression of life i guess, every old guy complains about prices right?

[davepl]

Well, there's two things you can do. Pay the prices asked or start your own business selling them cheaper. That's the beauty of capitalism... if the prices are too high, they'll sort themselves out almost on their own by magic.

Remember too you might be comparing the memory of junkyard parts (cheap) to reproduction parts (not cheap).

I know how you feel about spending money though: like Bill Gates said on the Simpsons, "I didn't get rich by writing a lot of checks".

[mtdave2]

oh i get it, I am a big fan of the market. Im just one that usually find things to like that most others dont so it is cheap. Just whining lol

[54blackhornet]

It's not just things like dashes or wiring harnesses that are getting expensive ! Simple small things like the tiny light bulb in side markers, local NAPA store asks $1.00 a bulb. Not long ago same bulb was 4 for a $1.00 ? Expensive gas drove up prices on everything but I don't see them going down in the future.

[special-K]

Dave, I know exactly what you are feeling and am with you 100%. The "owners" came along and killed the Harley thing for the working men who kept them alive when not so acceptable. Same thing with trucks in general, but especially these. People newer to these have no perspective on where it was and where it is now. The one flaw with capitalism is it breeds greed, and plenty of that going around these trucks. I know people who wouldn't be caught dead in a pickup truck or anywhere near a Harley and now they own both. Remember when Progressive, Geico, and all those refused to write policies for Harleys and older vehicles that aren't antique yet? I couldn't get full coverage on my cherry '63 Riviera because it was over 5 years old but not yet historic. Same with dozens of old vehicles I've had

[flashed]

There are deals to be had on parts here like tach dashes ,tilt columns ,etc ,just have to be the first to see them .

[XwalkerX]

i sold my 911 turbo last year...perhaps you should look into porsche parts pricing

IMO these trucks are CHEAP to restore/mod

[toolboxchev]

Originally Posted by 54blackhornet

It's not just things like dashes or wiring harnesses that are getting expensive ! Simple small things like the tiny light bulb in side markers, local NAPA store asks $1.00 a bulb. Not long ago same bulb was 4 for a $1.00 ? Expensive gas drove up prices on everything but I don't see them going down in the future.

A Dollar A Bulb? Last pack I bought out of necessity was something like $4.99 for 2!

I know some are getting a ton of money out of parts, even rusted up OEM stuff. I found a tach at one of my employers garage. It was new, still in the box, never installed. He gave it to me! What a deal!

Edelbrock wanted me to change my trans kickdown cable and use their manifold kickdown mount at a total cost of over 145 bucks! WTF???????

I got smart and used my old cable, mounting stud (from my old Quadrajet)to the carb, and modified the Edelbrock Dodge Carb adapter for a whopping 9 BUCKS! HA! It does not look too hookey, and has been performing for over 7 years, no issues.

Sometimes we get away with it. I aint telling Edelbrock thats for sure.

[REEDS 72]

That why I just went went with a real nice tach on the column plus you can see them a lot better.

[aod92]

Originally Posted by XwalkerX

i sold my 911 turbo last year...perhaps you should look into porsche parts pricing

IMO these trucks are CHEAP to restore/mod

I agree....I went from restoring a classic Cadillac to my c10. Parts for this truck seem cheap compared to the Cadillac lol

[trac209]

You think you have it bad try being Canadian and having a dollar worth 60 cents U.S and we have to buy most stuff states side.

[special-K]

So parts prices for a common old GM Truck are something to compare to Porche and Cadillac prices? Thanks for helping us make our point.

[swamp rat]

Edited by Staff: Please note that all Political and Religious discussions are against site rules. This policy has been in place since June of 2005.

[yuccales]

Originally Posted by mtdave2

It is the nature progression of life i guess, every old guy complains about prices right?

Yep, I miss the days of a $35.00 starter or a good $50.00 tire.

[special-K]

It's true the dollar doesn't spend at all like it used to, and that affects everything. But, we are talking about this bubble here. The devaluation of the dollar isn't what makes a radio delete go from $30 to $60 in one sale. It's not what took a set of disc brake factory wheels from $100 a set to people wanting what the 8" go for ($400).
When you talk about how much less things used to cost someone always says, "Yeah, but people made less money, too". Well, after WWII houses in sub-divisions were going for $7-8k, which is equivalent to $75-80 today. If you find anything around here for under $200k you'll have a project on your hands. New homes start at around $400k. That's 50x more and wages wages have increased under half that much. But that took 70 years to create such a huge wage vs income differential. true, it's only getting worse at a faster pace now.

[stepbox]

In my opinion the prices for parts for these type of vehicles are not bad in cost.
Try restoring an early car (30s ford,or tri 5 chevy,or late 50s buicks)those prices are out of site.C-10 parts are getting higher but they are very popular now and used parts are getting harder to find.As most here know looking around at swap meets and on-line forums are a great source for parts.

[CG]

It is what it is. Something gets popular the prices go up. If it affects your hobby, its irritating for sure.

Used to be you only got to see whatever auto/truck you were in to in the monthly magazines, or the occasional car show. Now all you have to do is fire up the computer, cell phone, tablet and you can see stuff from every type of auto hobby from every nook and cranny around the globe. This is what has driven the prices up ... accessibility to everyone.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by special-K

It's true the dollar doesn't spend at all like it used to, and that affects everything. But, we are talking about this bubble here. The devaluation of the dollar isn't what makes a radio delete go from $30 to $60 in one sale. It's not what took a set of disc brake factory wheels from $100 a set to people wanting what the 8" go for ($400).
When you talk about how much less things used to cost someone always says, "Yeah, but people made less money, too". Well, after WWII houses in sub-divisions were going for $7-8k, which is equivalent to $75-80 today. If you find anything around here for under $200k you'll have a project on your hands. New homes start at around $400k. That's 50x more and wages wages have increased under half that much. But that took 70 years to create such a huge wage vs income differential. true, it's only getting worse at a faster pace now.

Those houses built after WWII were also only 1,200 SF. Try selling someone a 1,200 SF house nowadays. We have PLENTY of those 40's-50's neighborhoods around here still, and most of the houses are 1,200-1,500 SF single story. Also, most have no garage, and I'd say about half have a one or two car attached open car port thing.

The standard "norm" for a house now is 2,400-2,800 SF, two story WITH an attached 2 car garage. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison, but you can still buy a very nice +/- 2,000-2,500 SF home here for 150-200K (double the SF of the 50's homes... so about on par???)

Anyway, just thought I'd point that out. Cars have also exceeded inflation in price, buy my God, look at what goes into them now. 60 years ago they were a frame, drivetrain, and some sheetmetal thrown together. I could completely disassemble a 67 C10 by myself in a weekend. I'd be lucky to have the drivetrain out of a 2015 after a weekend.

Anyway, certain parts for these trucks have been crazy high for Years.

Tach dash, factory shoulder belts, and tow hooks are a few that come to mind.

I know some stuff is $$$, but on the flip side, be thankful that you can buy a wiring harness that is plug and play and don't have to make your own, etc. 5-10 years ago you had to splice together a good junkyard harness or a painless harness that is anything but...

[CST10]

Prices for these trucks have risen up over the last 5-6 years. I think some of it is the auctions you see on TV. Everybody thinks there old rusted junk is gold now. Use to be a roller truck with major body work was around $250-500 around these parts, now they want $1000-1250 for one. Everybody thinks their junk is gold.

[XwalkerX]

Originally Posted by special-K

So parts prices for a common old GM Truck are something to compare to Porche and Cadillac prices? Thanks for helping us make our point.

no they aren't comparable at all.

I was simply solidifying my point that parts are VERY inexpensive for these trucks.

while im sure prices have gone up, these parts are only worth what someone will pay.

[jocko]

I hate what those auctions have done to my ability to buy trucks and parts.
I love what those auctions have done to my ability to sell trucks and parts.

[LEEVON]

Until the 90's these were just trucks. For the last 20 or so years they have been collector vehicles, hot rods and a hobby. There used to mountains of parts laying around, and trucks for sale on every corner. I used to able to walk into Manes Truck Parts in Raytown, MO and sort through a shelf full of tach dashes. The good parts have largely been spoken for and the original trucks are becoming scarce.

STILL this is cheaper by and large than traditional hot rods and muscle cars. $500 for a tach dash seems reasonable whether it is a restored original or brand new.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by jocko

I hate what those auctions have done to my ability to buy trucks and parts.
I love what those auctions have done to my ability to sell trucks and parts.

[68350]

Prices have probably doubled on average in the past 5 years for parts. NOS stuff is high and only going up. I remember when 69-72 tow hooks were 250 and now they are 450. Almost any hard to find option has quadrupled in price in last 5 years. But the trucks are also selling for more too so the price kind of offsets itself. Buying is only getting harder to find good deals

[OhioDan]

Edited by Staff: Please note that all Political and Religious discussions are against site rules. This policy has been in place since June of 2005.