New carburetor prices are high.

[Cranky]

I doubt I'll ever buy a new carb again. Prices are nuts. Just picked up a $100 swap meet Holley 750 that is pristine.... and at this rate will be buying every decent one I run across and putting it on the shelf.

I was doing that a lot of years ago.....and used many of them. I used to play a little game of installing the next larger carb on my engines just to see if the car would run a better ET. Ended up proving the "that's too big" crowd wrong. For better MPG, yeah, they were right but at the time, MPG wasn't what I was looking for.

 

[Doorkicker]

Not wanting to turn this political but just asking this question
Are all these things you are seeing with bigger prices totally made in the USA or are the boarder controls you have in place finally trickling down to the consumer after everyone stocked up when they could but now that supply of parts are used up ??

I honestly think it is a combination of alot of things... such as merchants loading up prices before costs hit to balance out total liability in wearhoused stock (i.e., start raising proces to reset the market with existing low-cost stock to maximize profits before getting into massive drops in sales due to uncontrollable price increases), I think some could be actual global dynamics to which I suspect you're referring, shipping (oceanic, trucking) have all have had increased costs that are creating a product flow issue impacting, especially, raw materials, and, of course, the tariffs create some instability and mixed sentiment all the way down to the consumer, not just investors and the markets. anyway... my $0.02, which is worth less than that.

 

[RemCharger]

I used to play a little game of installing the next larger carb on my engines just to see if the car would run a better ET. Ended up proving the "that's too big" crowd wrong.

Amen. Lots of that crowd here.

 

[GTX JOHN]

I was doing that a lot of years ago.....and used many of them. I used to play a little game of installing the next larger carb on my engines just to see if the car would run a better ET. Ended up proving the "that's too big" crowd wrong. For better MPG, yeah, they were right but at the time, MPG wasn't what I was looking for.

I have found out that as well.

I can really over carb. a race car without any performance
falling off. Same with being a bit richer than need.

We run a 950 CFM on a iron head 360 very successifully!

 

[Davefinan]

Remember when our parents complained about the prices of stuff , and we used to think they were overdoing it so they didn’t have to buy whatever it was for us? We are them now.

 

[jeff alder]

WOW I must be old. I can remember buying car batteries for around 35.00. I guess it's swell that at least I can still remember it. Some of the places I've seen don't even take your old one for a core. My grandfather used to tell me stories about taking grandma to the movies, getting a burger and a sodi-pop for $1.05

 

[6PKRTSE]

Yep, try finding/buying a Six-Pack carb. They cost more for a 2 bbl, then I paid for my 1050 Dominator carbs.

 

[kiwigtx]

The price of butter is three times what it was in 2014....eggs much the same.....inflation and time are friends.

 

[themechanic]

WOW I must be old. I can remember buying car batteries for around 35.00. I guess it's swell that at least I can still remember it. Some of the places I've seen don't even take your old one for a core. My grandfather used to tell me stories about taking grandma to the movies, getting a burger and a sodi-pop for $1.05

My Dad was born in 1924. His mother mother played the organ while the silent movie played. Dad said it cost 15 cents to go to the movies when he was a kid.

 

[RJRENTON]

My Dad was born in 1924. His mother mother played the organ while the silent movie played. Dad said it cost 15 cents to go to the movies when he was a kid.

Price is relative......what did it use to cost? A loaf of sliced white bread, in 1960 was $0.39; gasoline was $0.69/gallon of Sunoco 260.....the other relative factor is how much you're willing to pay for what you want......the other relative factor is time......just my opinion of course.....
BOB RENTON

 

[themechanic]

Price is relative......what did it use to cost? A loaf of sliced white bread, in 1960 was $0.39; gasoline was $0.69/gallon of Sunoco 260.....the other relative factor is how much you're willing to pay for what you want......the other relative factor is time......just my opinion of course.....
BOB RENTON

You left out the most important factor.

Greed

 

[Davefinan]

You left out the most important factor.

Greed

I think we can all agree that prices have gone up due to inflation over time , but certainly greed is a big contributor.

A case in point would be…a company is charging x amount of money for a product made here by our workers who are paid , let’s say 30.00 an hour. That company moves their manufacturing to China or Mexico and pays those workers 5.00 an hour and continues to charge the Same
x amount of money. Pure greed.
And not very patriotic as well.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Battery maintainer, was about $25, now $125.
Half inch plywood, was $50, during Covid about $150. Down a bit since then. Batteries and oil, up a lot.
I think my new Edelbrock carb was about $500. But lots of parts have increased this year.
New bikes have too much electronic junk, and cost too much.
I will keep my 007 bike, my 007 truck, and my 77 camper van. I used quality ply on my new house, not that glued together stuff. Got it early during Covid, at the old prices.

 

[OneWheelPeel]

Yeah, i wanted to get a street avenger myself.. used are around $200 near me...

Have read a lot of people that had issues with them and made them much better by changing the metering blocks

P.S. i mainly want one to play with vacuum secondaries after a recent ben alemeda video.. plus i hate to give up an electric choke

P.P.S. right now i'm using a Street Demon 750 with the composite body... and really happy with it, one of the best out of the box carbs i have used

Ben Alameda that used to race a foxbody back in the 90s by any chance?

 

[icetech]

Ben Alameda that used to race a foxbody back in the 90s by any chance?

yeah.. he has a youtube channle he posts a lot of good nfo on... and some videos of cars he's done

 

[icetech]

Ben Alameda that used to race a foxbody back in the 90s by any chance?

 

[Cranky]

WOW I must be old. I can remember buying car batteries for around 35.00. I guess it's swell that at least I can still remember it. Some of the places I've seen don't even take your old one for a core. My grandfather used to tell me stories about taking grandma to the movies, getting a burger and a sodi-pop for $1.05

10 cent soft drinks from vending machines......

 

[Cranky]

Price is relative......what did it use to cost? A loaf of sliced white bread, in 1960 was $0.39; gasoline was $0.69/gallon of Sunoco 260.....the other relative factor is how much you're willing to pay for what you want......the other relative factor is time......just my opinion of course.....
BOB RENTON

37 cents for Mobil Supreme gas in early 1970....it was expensive related to other stations....

 

[beanhead]

Not wanting to turn this political but just asking this question
Are all these things you are seeing with bigger prices totally made in the USA or are the boarder controls you have in place finally trickling down to the consumer after everyone stocked up when they could but now that supply of parts are used up ??

No, and no....it started long before that and does include 'offshore' parts as well.

 

[OneWheelPeel]

yeah.. he has a youtube channle he posts a lot of good nfo on... and some videos of cars he's done

Oh ok, just a name I haven't heard in a long time. I remember back in the day when I was thirsty for a foxbody seeing him in some mags, then he made some passes at my local track. Shortly after that in a weird coincidence while talking to a coworker about where I spend my weekends he replies that his (brother I think) also does that, but for a living. Turns out that was Ben, who then visited him at work and we talked cars a little bit.
This was back in my 20s when I was a night guard making barely over minimum wage, but it gave me daytime to work on my car and weekends to spend at the race track. Sounds impressive until I mention the car only ran 15s at best, but fun times. I'll stop derailing this thread now