Troubling trend.........ON topic!

[Roadkingcoupe]

Have you noticed.....

The price of cars is dropping, but the cost of parts is going through the roof.

However.......

The upside is the recent entrance of many reproduction parts suppliers for old Plymouths, including running boards, floor matts, sill matts, 6v LED/ Halogen bayonet style (non-sealed beam) headlight bulbs, reproduction P15 tail lights and castings, fiberglass coupe trunk lids, knobs, body repair panels, driveshafts (updated with X u-joints),glove box liners, authentic repro Diamond tread bias ply tires, and more.

20 years ago, there were few repro parts available at all.

[greg g]

Kinda like stocks and bonds when one is up the other is usually flat or depressed. As the economy still slides along in neutral, big ticket items remain slow, so bits and pieces tend to rise.

[old rat 49]

RK Coupe; Ujoint kits ? Who ?

[Plymouthy Adams]

as much as folks hate the phrase...gotta pay to play...it still reigns king

[BobT-47P15]

Yep......those n o s parts aren't being made any more.

I was outbid on a convertible windshield wiper pivot a couple

days ago (they are different from regular models, are larger

and chrome plated). It sold for $153.

[DLK]

But what about the quality of those repro parts? It's my experience that these foreign made brake and other parts are poor quality compared to disappearing NOS parts.

[Cpt.Fred]

that seems to be true, at least for the brake parts on my P10... everything i bought did not solve my problems, but brought along new ones, due to poor fit or bad machining. sad.

on the other hand:

i didn't get half the parts for my 69 opel, and i paid more than double. even including the horrible shipping fees to germany, parts for an american pre war car seem to be cheaper and easier to get.

except brake parts...

[JIPJOBXX]

Ah yes the aftermarket good stuff!!!!!Just check this out!

44 Magnum accident

First it was baby formula, then pet food but now you should watch out when buying anything from China , including bright, shiny ammunition. A guy came into the police department the other day to ask a favor. He had a S&W 629 (.44 Mag) that he wanted to dispose of after a mishap at the range. He said there was a loud bang when he tested his new ammo, (Chinese made), and the gun smacked him in the forehead, leaving a nice gash. When the tweety birds cleared from around his head, the pictures show what he saw. Bet he never uses Chinese made ammo again! Looks like when the round in the chamber went off, it also set off at least two other rounds in adjacent cylinders. I would have hated to been the one that pulled the trigger on that one!

Edited November 15, 2010 by JIPJOBXX
x

[Plymouthy Adams]

looks like low powder detonation...big big problem using shotgun powder when handloading..to easy to get a light load when the load is extremely light to begin with..poor powder quality, bad crimps, aged material, poor shipping handling practice..all can contribute..

if the fire flash don't blind the subject prior to bullet impact..you shooting a plinking round...I feel an obligation to allowing them to see the bright light as they cross over

Edited November 15, 2010 by Tim Adams

[Big_John]

That .44 Mag S&W has made the internet and email rounds in past years. First time that I have read "Chinese ammo" as the cause though.

I don't know of any .44 Mag ammo made in China.

[Big_John]

Back to the subject, I've noticed a few cars that I would consider as restorable being parted out. Most recently I saw a 53 Desoto on the HAMB that was a really nice driver being parted out. Its to the point of where the sum of the parts is worth more then the whole car.

[Young Ed]

Back to the subject, I've noticed a few cars that I would consider as restorable being parted out. Most recently I saw a 53 Desoto on the HAMB that was a really nice driver being parted out. Its to the point of where the sum of the parts is worth more then the whole car.

Dad and I tried to go look at a 62 Chrysler 300 4dr hardtop yesterday. Asking 1200. Was a CA car until 1991 and quite solid. Rusty trunk floor and weak drivers footwell. We were too late he parted it out.

[Troganin]

All I know is there will be at least one car that wont fall to parting out. I just drove mine around the block for the first time in a few years fell in love all over again.

[John Mulders]

Ah yes the aftermarket good stuff!!!!!Just check this out!

44 Magnum accident

Is that a Magnum convertable?

[Roadkingcoupe]

An example of the trend.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VINTAGE-DODGE-TRUCK-BAKELITE-SHIFT-KNOB-1930s-NOS-RARE-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem5add7fb4faQQitemZ390263190778QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

$405 FOR A SHIFT KNOB?

At least it is functional.....

Who here spent $500 or less for the WHOLE car??

[Robert Horne]

Back to the subject, I've noticed a few cars that I would consider as restorable being parted out. Most recently I saw a 53 Desoto on the HAMB that was a really nice driver being parted out. Its to the point of where the sum of the parts is worth more then the whole car.

I won an auction for a 37 four door part car, $300. I paid about that much for two rear fiberglass fenders, a few years ago for my 38. Now I can have metal fenders on my 38, and put the fiberglass fenders on the 37. What I see on ebay now is one part can cost as much as what I paid for a whole car...

[Don Coatney]

An example of the trend.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VINTAGE-DODGE-TRUCK-BAKELITE-SHIFT-KNOB-1930s-NOS-RARE-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem5add7fb4faQQitemZ390263190778QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

$405 FOR A SHIFT KNOB?

At least it is functional.....

Who here spent $500 or less for the WHOLE car??

Look at the bid history on the first knob he sold. In the last 4 minutes the bid went from $103 to $405 and a sniper won it with 8 seconds to go.

http://offer.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=390259053924

On this current auction is at $405 with 4 days left. I wonder if it will get sniped in the last few seconds.

http://offer.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=390263190778

[TodFitch]

Back to the subject, I've noticed a few cars that I would consider as restorable being parted out. Most recently I saw a 53 Desoto on the HAMB that was a really nice driver being parted out. Its to the point of where the sum of the parts is worth more then the whole car.

Based on the cost of parts at the auto supply and the dealer I'd guess that any car, even brand new, is worth less than the sum of its parts.

Before I made a conscious decision to stop tracking the cost of fixing up my old Plymouth my rule of thumb was that I was increasing the value of the car by about 1/4 the cost of the part that I bought for it. Buy and install a $100 part, value of car up by about $25.

[T120]

...Chump change for those vintage Harley fellas

[michael.warshaw]

the other day a clock was on it was 60 dollars till the last 12 seconds.

all the vendors were going after this one.

[Rodney Bullock]

there is a tend going on around here that is disturbing. It's these new guy's that get a car. They disassemble it and then loose interest. I looked at a coupe of cars with some friends of mine a couple of weeks ago. They want alot of m,oney(recoupe) however some of the parts are broken, missing and bent.

They are ruining these great cars. The cars are rust free and running. I find this very frighting. some of these cars are very rare. Hudsons and Plymouths one I wanted. A nice 47 coupe.

[michael.warshaw]

there is a tend going on around here that is disturbing. It's these new guy's that get a car. They disassemble it and then loose interest. I looked at a coupe of cars with some friends of mine a couple of weeks ago. They want alot of m,oney(recoupe) however some of the parts are broken, missing and bent.

They are ruining these great cars. The cars are rust free and running. I find this very frighting. some of these cars are very rare. Hudsons and Plymouths one I wanted. A nice 47 coupe.

y a 47 coupe vs a 46 or 48?

[JBNeal]

there is a tend going on around here that is disturbing. It's these new guy's that get a car. They disassemble it and then loose interest...

Folks biting off more than they can chew is nothing new; it's their access to the internet that makes this behavior more pronounced. The '53 Dodge long bed I found in '01 was just such a project: the truck was complete & running (but no brakes) when it was put up for sale, and I got beat out by another dude in bringing the cash & a trailer by about 2 hours.

A year later, I find out the guy had completely disassembled that truck, stripped all of the sheet metal, primed everything except the back of the cab (but didn't knock out any of the dents in the fenders), tossed the entire drivetrain & front axle & steering, and then piled it up in his elderly mother's front yard. She moved into a nursing home and was selling the house, so his brother told him to sell what was left of the truck or it was going to the scrapyard. He wanted the original asking price, I told him about how I tried to buy the truck the year before, so he took what I offered and I hauled it off.

Eight years later, I noticed that several listings on eBay for the front sheet metal have totaled what I paid for all the sheet metal & frame & cab (with electric wiper motor & switch). I've also seen several complete flathead motors go for more than complete vehicles. It's all about supply & demand I reckon.

[Frank Elder]

y a 47 coupe vs a 46 or 48?

All 3 years are the same Mike.

[Rodney Bullock]

The 47 is a little different. I know the parts are interchangable I like the year "1947" just as I like the year "1959" no real difference. MY collection of cars is based on things that either happened in my life, my parents or "Great moments in history. Take for example the year 1960 alot of stuff happened that year. The Supremes joined Motown, I turned One years old;) My parents moved to New York.

Edited December 19, 2010 by Rodney Bullock