From having an insider's view on the availability and cost of the reproduction parts and NOS parts, I will give you my opinion. Each and every day, there is some new reproduction product that comes to the market place. Just like any business, the companies who are into the reproduction business realize that they have to continue to bring new and different products to the market place to maintain their significance to the customers. If they decide to sit on the side lines and fail to keep bringing out product, they will soon be left on the side. In the grand scheme of things, the Mopar industry is still relatively untouched in some areas and you continue to see some try to enter into the frenzy.
With each new product that may be brought out, you are not aware of the fact that most probably another product just got dropped from the availability. Just because we want the availability of any given product does not justify it for the wholesale vendor who is stocking the product or is looking at making another run of a product. They can not afford to put the latest product that just came available on the shelf without dropping something that no longer is in demand. It is just Business 101.
The other issue is that some of these products were pieces where the vendors have searched out the original manufacture and were able to purchase from them. This OEM vendor either had inventory on the shelf from years ago or still had the tooling and the opportunity to provide the product. But we are continuing to see that source dry up overnight. If they are willing to continue to provide the product, we are seeing them want to put a surcharge on the product because it is no longer economically feasible for them to inventory this product just for us. Just for an example, we faced a 280% price increase on one of the materials we use back in November. There is no way that you can pass that increase to the buying public.
Personally, my thoughts and talking to others within the industry, the reproduction parts that are of quality and have a need once dropped will become the "NOS" of the reproduction parts world. These pieces will pull down a considerable amount of money and trade within the circles of those searching for factory original NOS parts. True factory NOS pieces will only stay at or continue to climb in price. Money for some is no issue and if that new owner that has just dropped $180,000 plus into purchasing a Six Pack Super Bird has no issue in dropping $300 into the correct distributor cap.
So with all of that said, my one bit of advice is to think ahead and develop a plan if you have a car your working on or that you have the desire to do in the future. That one piece that is readily available now may not be available two to three years from now. It may not be available three months from now. Just develop a plan and follow your plan. Good luck and do what makes your happy. As Justin has done with his GTX and this forum, be thankful for what it has given us.
....watch out may have to start my own restoration thread !!!...work has begun on my 68 Roadrunner!!!!!
.....good one
