The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk High Prices

I'm new here & i know that parts for these ol'bolts are gettin' rare or impossible to find but why are fellow bolters usually asking 3/4 the price of a new part when their's is a used part???
On several accounts i have offered to give people somethin' they need to restore or fix their bolts if they would jus' pay shippin'charges especially when it's parts I have more than 1 of or wouldn't most likely need. I mean c'mon why pay 1/2 or 3/4 of what it costs new when you can save up a little more & get brand new? I do however understand some people don't want repro items on their bolts they want "Orig Unrestored" & sometimes the Orignal Restored items like Jay Leno. Hope there's no disrespect here but if there is then you know why i posted this

I can relate to that - I've gathered up lots of bits and pieces I found over time cuz .... they ain't makin any more, and I'll be drivin these ol trucks til I die, not cuz I wanna pay for my truck by resellin pieces, but some folks don't feel that way, so ... to each his own
if some are willin to pay the price, some are willin to collect it

Bill

Some repro parts are fine while others are a joke. In my experience this is particularly true for sheet metal parts. For example a repro rear fender is 350 to 400 bucks. It looks great on the outside but flexes like aluminum foil because it is so thin. If shipped to you it will take a miracle to recieve it without damage. A minor bump after install and it is dented badly. Tiny pea gravel will create stars on the exterior. Just carrying it to the truck is scary because they flex so bad you will expect it to split at any moment. An original fender is very heavy duty and stiff. It is not thin aluminum foil type material. It takes a significant blow to create a dent. Otherwise repro parts typically do not fit and require a lot of massaging to jury-rig them. Simply stated, if you have patience and time on your hands and don't mind paying brand-new prices for stuff that will have to be modified to fit the application it was sold for, and you don't mind if they only last a fraction of the time an already 50 year old part will last, you may be happy with repro.

I have seen plenty of stuff given away for free or for shipping cost when people posted want ads in the swap meet! I was offered a complete set of springs for free when I was looking for them.

Some people (myself included) think it is worth it to pay 75% for a used part they really need... especially if it will help another 'bolter finance their project!

If you don't like the price... don't buy!

There's always e-bay... good luck!

I guess I need to speak up for those charging something for old parts. Although charity has its place in this hobby there are some of these parts that we go to great distance, expense and effort to obtain. Many times we find these parts at a great price and believe we can resell them for more. Case in point is 54 -55.1 grills. They do not make repros so when I find one I know that someone out there is looking for one and will pay a slight uplift to get the part they need for their project.
If you are gripping about the cost then maybe this hobby is not for you. These trucks cost money so accept that and as Jesse says - Pay Up Sucker!.
I would also suggest you get out there and look through the local salvage yards, old homesteads, small towns, and the internet to find what you need. If I do it for you then you will have to pay what I am asking.
Hope you don't read any disrespect here but your gripping is falling on a deaf ear here.

Oh and by the way if you want to see an example of a high price asked for something then read the following:

I HAVE A SET OF FRONT FENDER EMBLEMS OFF OF A 1959 CHEVY APACHE 3/4 TON THAT READ "CHEVROLET APACHE 32" & ALSO THE HOOD EMBLEM.

Fender Spears - $50. Pair Used
Hood Emblem - $80. Used
THAT'S THE PRICE http://www.americanclassic.com ASKS FOR EACH. I'LL SELL FOR $50.

or WILL TRADE FOR THE EMBLEMS OFF A '58 APACHE 3100 1/2 TON STEPSIDE

I think you may remember posting this yourself in the swap meet.

I should add that here in the midwest it is nearly impossible to find any sheet metal that is not severly rotted from rust. The junkyards were picked over with a fine toothed comb years ago. I'm damned near 50 and want to drive my trucks while I still have the energy to get in and enjoy it. Collecting parts is a good hobby but I would have to travel thousands of miles from where I am to find them. I literally spent 3 years searching every junkyard I could find within 250 miles of me for a right rear fender. They simply do not exist in this area. I bought a repro and regret it. I will pay the price to get a good one.

I am a hobbyist and have gave away hundreds of dollars worth of parts. I will never try to make money from a fellow hobbyist. If I had to pay a specific price for a part I will try to get my money back, but if I don't want it because it is not a good part I will sell for less than I paid, give it away, or send it to a landfill. If all hobbyists would help each other out like this we would all save money while getting on the road faster. Unfortunately for us, the guys with all of the good parts are in it for the money. Supply and demand is the rule with them and that is how 99% of the whole world works. That does not necessarily make them bad people. In fact they are highly valued when you really need a part and cannot find it for less than market price. Sometimes I think I'm a fool for giving away stuff to guys I will never meet, but I feel good about it.

I have to agree with Alan, I've sunk about $6,500 into my Bolt, ($2k of which was purchase and shipping)... If I have a part that I don't need then I'll try and sell it to recoup some of the money I've put in... and it sure would be nice to be able to tell my wife that I made a few bucks.

If you think that someone is trying to take advantage of you then you've always got the option to just say no.

On the other hand, I had a bench seat frame with springs and all that I tried to give away... no takers so it went to the dump.

It seems that when I have something, I end up giving it away just to get rid of it. When I need something I can only find it at a price. Murphy's law, I guess.

I figure that if it's a fellow Stovebolter, I don't mind paying for his spare and helping fund his project. The ones I don't like giving money to are the guy parting out a restorable truck because he figures there's more money in the parts than in peddling the whole truck, or the guy that I have read about in these forums cheating other Stovebolters.

I find that the best deals are to be found right here at the Stovebolt because quite often I'm dealing with someone who has been through what I am going through.

Brad - I'm with you and Murphy. I pay through the nose for stuff but can't seem to sell anything and struggle to give it away. As stated I have given away lots of stuff and I think the persons receiving are nervous thinking there is a catch. I just don't understand the secret to selling. Other folks cannot even spell or carry on a conversation, plus their ads are incoherent and ambigous but folks go nuts to buy from them. It's easier for me to just throw it away. I have an excellent bench seat and nobody replied to my ad. If not for the pain in packaging I would give it away. Meanwhile another guy posted an ad at $250 and had a half dozen replies within 30 minutes. Maybe mine would have sold if I asked $350? I am ready to throw it away jsut to get it out of my shop, and I'll bet 3 years from now I'll need one and will be bending over to get one.

I always seem to buy high & sell low. Just not a financial wizard I guess. I know people who always buy stuff for next to nothing yet they could crap in thier yard & somebody would pay them big bucks for it. If you ever figure out a way to join that group & still sleep sound at night let me know!

houston54 i was going to sell the side emblems and hood emblem as well for 50$ a set which i think cutting someone a deal for rechroming or using them as unrepaired originals :rolleyes:

"I am a hobbyist.I will never try to make money from a fellow hobbyist. If I had to pay a specific price for a part I will try to get my money back, but if I don't want it because it is not a good part I will sell for less than I paid, give it away, or send it to a landfill. If all hobbyists would help each other out like this we would all save money while getting on the road faster. Unfortunately for us, the guys with all of the good parts are in it for the money. Supply and demand is the rule with them and that is how 99% of the whole world works. That does not necessarily make them bad people. In fact they are highly valued when you really need a part and cannot find it for less than market price. Sometimes I think I'm a fool for giving away stuff to guys I will never meet, but I feel good about it." SAME HERE and I Understand the $ being used to restore & fund their own projects but charging 75% of a new part when you probably don't have 1/2 that in it is what i'm talking about.

Houston54 by the way the price on those emblems which you made clear i posted is what americanclassic.com was asking & mine sure as hell beat their price for all 3 emblems for 50$ that's including the shipping.

I may be wrong but I've always heard "underdogs stick together", atleast it's not a blue oval, & "never trash your fellow man unless he's truely deserving it" ; )

58,
If you find someone to buy them at that price great and good luck. I typically see those emblems, especially 3/4 ton, on ebay for about a 5th of your price. There just is not that big of demand for them. I am just pointing out that one persons idea of a high price and anothers is a matter of perspective. I think your price for those parts is too high. So you are gripping about something you are doing yourself in my view. There is no malice intended, just point of view.

If you need a part be prepared to pay the price being asked. If you don't like the free market system then set up a priceline.com for old truck parts.

Granted there are some out there who try to make a living on parts and others who would rather give things away. I fall in the middle. If I can make some cash off a part then I can use it to pay for another item I need that is what I will do.

Many of us help each other out where we can. You have the similar challenge that I have in that you can only draw many of your parts from 58-59 year trucks. I have a limitation of 54-55.1 trucks which is even tighter. I would suggest you either find a more common truck or expect to pay the asking price for the hard to find parts like front fenders, hoods, etc for your year.

As a case in point I recently purchased a very used 54 grill. I am putting some time, effort, and material into restoring it to "driver" condition. Knowing these are rare items I will try to sell it for what the market will bear. The money will go towards paying for the paint for my truck. Am I wrong to do this? If your answer is yes then we disagree.

50 GMC - sorry to hear that you had to pay so much for that fender. I go to swap meets all around the midwest, not to make money but just to look mostly. I have found rear fenders in good shape for under $100, less money if you want to buy a patch panel and install.
Besides scarcity and assumed greed on the suppliers part, higher costs are creeping in to every part of this hobby. Higher shipping costs, swap meet sponsers charging more for swap spaces, higher insurance, higher gas prices to get there and the list goes on and on.
I talked to several vendors at the Springfield, MO swap meet this summer who were going to sell the remainder of thier inventory on E-bay just because it costs too much to do a swap meet anymore and still make a decent return. Can you really blame them? After all some of us are just here for the hobby and to meet a few new/old friends.

I guess that I got a bargain when I found a good used 1960-66 front right fender for $25.00 at a nearby flea market. I've seen ones go for nearly $200.00 at swap meets.

The key is you have to keep your eyes open and not be in a big hurry for anything. Eventually you will find what you need at a price you feel is fair.

Sometimes you get, sometimes you get got.

I'm a hobbiest.. an old chevy truck enthusiest.. and I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on my hobby.

Sometimes i'll buy an old truck cheap and turn it for a profit to help finance my current projects.. I don't see anything wrong with that.

If I buy an old truck for $300 and don't happen to give a crap about the busted old original radio, you're damned right i'll stick it on eBay and sell it for $300 to help finance my hobby.

In my life i've given away far more things than i've sold.. it feels good to help a fellow hobbiest out.. but on the same token, it also feels good to be able to pay bills, eat, and get the stuff you need for your own projects.

There are dudes out there, all across the nation buying these old trucks for next to nothing, for free, and in some cases, actually getting PAID to take them away.. just so they can strip the parts and sell 'em to make a living or help fund their projects.

I don't have a problem with a person trying to make a little extra money.. if I think their price is too high, I just say no thanks.

Most new, repro parts are crap, plain and simple. A rusty original body part is better than a cheap thin metal or fiberglass repro any day of the week.

I'm a fan of "let the market decide" - that's why the majority of the parts I sell go on eBay.

Good story - I got a very rusty but low-mileage '54 4400 with the corner windows for free. My family's mechanic bought it for the engine, and was going to crush the rest. He could have picked up a few bucks from the scrap guy, but he'd rather see the parts recycled and back on the road. Some parts I'm keeping, some I've sold...and those parts are helping keep a number of trucks on the road. Everyone's happy, except the scrap guy and the Chinese.

My '67 C-10 has the factory chrome bumpers that still shine, but are a little beat-up. I can buy new Taiwan bumpers, but they're not half the thickness of the originals, and the chrome quality is crap. I can take mine downtown and have beautiful rechromed Original bumpers for a little more than the cost of the re-craps.

I'm all for getting the original part and fixing it over the repops any day.

I guess there are two sides to every story. Years ago a woman noticed my 49 in the driveway and came back a bit later with a minivan full of AD pieces. Wheels, motor parts and a lot of bits and pieces. Some looked okay but most were junk. She wanted $1200 so I sent her away. She ended up selling them to another guy for $100.

Not long after I had a knock on my door and a man had also noticed the truck and said he had a few boxes of old parts which he didn't want and gave them to me. Much of it was good but I could not see using it. I met a fellow and he took a bunch of these parts for the price I paid - zip!

Since then I have had people in this area give me some good parts- and parts I was desperate for. Axles, 16" wheels, transmissions and such. All for nothing and greatly appreciated.
So I am carrying on that tradition whereby I give something away I was probably given and cannot use. Seeing another old truck on the road partly due to my donations is enough satisfaction for me.

Having said all this, I see nothing wrong with a person who has spent big bucks finding and restoring a part but not ever using it, sell it to recoup his costs.

Ironically the fellow who paid $100 for that minivan full of parts was a friend and a while later called me to say he had all these truck parts and could not use them. If I wanted them I could come and get them!

i appreciate the posts on here i do. Also i have (2) 54-55 1st grills 1painted & 1chrome both are decent "drivers" that i've got for free but since i don't know what they're worth i guess i won't sell'em on here for fear of overpricing . I'm just the type to want to help someone get their bolt going 'cause right now mine is still a project truck and I could use the same help with parts. Thanx guys for adding your opinions

58 -

I saw these on ebay and thought you might be interested in them.
Check out auction # 8006856012