The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Langdon’s HEI - What's it worth?

Hi guys!
I have I have a hei kit from Tom Langdon that was never installed that I’m probably going to offer for sale. Everything is in the box as shipped from Tom to me. Looking for opinions on what it would be worth.
I also have a’49 235 out of a 1 1/2 ton with the transmission. I saw it running before it was pulled. I’ve decided not to use this engine. Will probably offer this for sale too.
Any opinions on a fair asking price for each would be appreciated. I’m located in the thumb of Michigan.
Thanks
Dan

Dan - The answer to your question basically boils down to what you and a buyer agree on as the selling price for any/all of these things. It's easy to do a web search of places like ebay to see what is being offered and for how much, then use that and your own decision making power to decide on an asking price to start with.

From there it's a matter of seeing what people offer and deciding on a final sale price to make a deal that you and the buyer are satisfied with. Don't forget to consider if items are being offered for local pickup only or if shipping can be accommodated, as well as who pays.

This kinda goes hand in hand with folks asking the question "What's My Truck Worth". We have a Tech Tip that is referred to whenever that question arises as it can sometimes turn into a very deep rabbit hole, which we like to avoid.

Others are welcome to offer some personal experience to help you out. Best of luck!

I don’t know how long ago Tom retired from making and selling his kits. I heard due to a lack of availability of the distributors. But it seems to not be very available.
I did search on eBay but didn’t find any listed. Clearly it’s worth what someone will pay. Yes I could ask for it what I paid 7 years ago. I’m sure his price went up. Just looking for a fair starting point. Maybe someone bought one recently. what is the point of placing say $500 on it and not getting a single bit of interest.

I don’t think my question about what a part is worth even remotely compares to someone asking what their truck is worth!
If Tom was still selling them I’d know exactly what I should get for it.
A truck however could fetch wildly different prices from one city to another. Heck even 1 week to another.
Parts don’t generally vary that much do they?

Dan - First let me offer an apology if what I posted upset you in any way. It wasn't my intention and I hope what is provided below helps answer your questions.

FWIW - I believe that when Tom Langdon retired, he sold his business (at least the Inline 6 stuff) to Tom Lowe @ 12bolt.com which according to their website still lists small cap Chevy inline 6 HEI distributors for what looks like $260.

The site indicates they are currently out-of-stock for both the black and red cap units, but no explanation why. Also unknown is if what they are listing is a modified original GM distributor like Tom built, or if theirs is something else?

There are a few other companies on the web offering a similar HEI small cap distributor set up, like this one from Walton Fabrication listed for $270. Of note with this website is the copyright date hasn't been updated since 2024, so you'd have to contact them to confirm if they still offer it and if the price remains the same.

My reference to the "What's My Truck Worth" Tech Tip I think is valid, in that I just consider it a thought process on how to decide what your going to ask and eventually accept for the items. In my mind the thought process applies to both things big and small, but deciding on a specific part or component value is often much easier than a whole truck as there are so many fewer things to consider that affect the decision. Not that this makes deciding any easier of course. On "Parts don't generally vary that much do they?", I'd have to say yes, for the same types of reasons why whole trucks/engine/etc. prices vary. Condition, availability, desirability, like with NOS parts we often find offered, can greatly vary the value and price dependent on these factors.

In context, if a fellow Stovebolter were to consider your Langdon's NOS HEI unit, they'd probably have to give things like it's origination (Tom Langdon quality built products), NOS condition, the relative unavailability of the same item in today's market place and that it's likely that they may have an exceptional truck they're wanting the best they can get for the truck would be driving factors in what they might think it's worth.

Can you realistically sell it at $500, maybe but probably not (IMHO), but could you reasonably start your asking price at around $300-$350 and get it, possibly so (again IMHO).

You won't know until you put it out there for sale.

Once again, apologies if anything I've said gave you the idea I was downplaying your questions here. I hope we see you post ads in our Truck Parts For Sale forum.

My two cents…

I was once considering Tom’s distributor. I ultimately got a pertronix system. The lower price of about $100 and extremely easy installation are what sold me on pertronix. Plus, I was able to maintain a factory look with pertronix. Toms price including shipping, was around $250. Is it worth $250? Yes, IMO. it might take a while to sell, but it doesn’t take up much room in your shop. Put it on Market Place too.

Dan, I've had Tom Langdon's HEI for 10 years. No problems & I love it. I've sent you a private message, FYI.

Denny

Unless you happen to find someone who is doing a "numbers-correct" restoration, that spray-oiler 235 is going to be a hard sell for more than scrap iron price. Rebuilding parts are scarce and e$$$pensive, and a later model 235 with full pressure oiling is virtually a drop-in fit for most applications. If your engine has the short pushrod cover that doesn't overlap the cylinder head, the head alone is probably worth much more than the rest of the engine.
Jerry