The price of parts. Where do you draw the line?

[FleetsidePaul]

I FINALLY found the rear glass for my Plymouth. That's the good news.

The bad news is the price. $395 for the glass, $85 to crate it, and shipping undetermined at this point. But with shipping charges being what the are today that's going to be one expensive piece of glass. Plus the cost of installation because I'm not doing it because auto glass and I do not get along.

I really don't think that the guy is too far out of line on his price. I just spent
$275 on a new windshield for my Jeep and those are a dime a dozen. This is a tough part to find. But all the associated costs are going to drive the price up more.

So I think. How much is too much? Do I just bite the bullet. It's not like these windows are just falling out of sky. Custom glass guys have told me no. They don't want to do it. They can but they wont. Like many women I've known.

I'll probably just go ahead and do it. I'm not going to find another one anytime soon. I guess my line in the sand just got pushed back a little.

[mongocanfly]

Dealing with the IHs has caused me to push that line futher than I ever would have thought..
I've overpaid for parts I could buy cheaper, but shipping costs caused those to be out of reach
I'm dealing with a truck that was only built 2yrs in the 50s..so I just suck it up and shell out the cash..

[72c20customcamper]

Like mongo said when you have a somewhat rare car you have to suck it up . You would cringe at the price for the rear glass on my Avanti if you can find one that is .

[joedoh]

is this gouger in my home state? there is a localish guy who quoted me FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS for a hood but he wanted to keep the trim, hinges, inner braces, springs. if he could have taken off the welds easily I think he might have. I told him no thanks.

if i needed a piece of custom glass i might make a pattern in thin plastic, and transfer that pattern to a piece of lexan. incredible stuff, cut it with a jigsaw, drill it easily. I used it in subwoofer boxes years ago and the piece I cut out I would put in a vice and offer 20 bucks if someone could break it with a sledgehammer. but you can bend it to custom shape easy, and sand it to the right size.

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by 72c20customcamper

Like mongo said when you have a somewhat rare car you have to suck it up . You would cringe at the price for the rear glass on my Avanti if you can find one that is .

Yeah. I hear what you guys are saying. I knew going in with my Packard and the Satellite. But it still kinds of knocks my sock off.

And I thought Porsche parts were expensive. Now they're in second place.

I think we are all a little spoiled with the Chevy trucks. If you need something. It's there. No big deal. I know that there are exceptions. But generally you can get anything fairly easy.

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by joedoh

is this gouger in my home state?

No. He's in Texas.

[Steeveedee]

What kind of Plymouth? My youngest brother has installed hundreds of vehicle windows, having worked in glass shops for many years.

[Boog]

The rarer they are the higher they will be priced. Some guys see gold in the most common of parts too. Take an old car that hasn't seen reproduction parts for some decades, it seems everybody knows it's rarity and their price goes up. There are times when it is more feasible to buy a whole car for that special part then sell what's left and maybe recoup your investment.
But for sure, useable parts will only get harder to find and more expensive as time goes by.

[special-K]

That glass may be a real rare piece and this seller has what you need, so the price is high. He too needs to consider whoever buys it will have to add shipping to the part plus crating expense. The price could prohibit anyone from ever buying. The other side of the coin for the seller is he has to find someone with that rare vehicle that needs that glass. He could die before ever selling it

[FleetsidePaul]

It's the rear tailgate glass for my 73 Satellite wagon.

I would love to find a parts car but when was last time you ever even saw a 73 Satellite wagon? They just aren't around.

The only production numbers I could find for a 73 Satellite is total production of 138,000
that includes 4 door sedans and Sebring's which were a completely different car. So I don't think they even made many wagons. This is the first one that I ever seen. So like a dummy I bought it knowing parts were going to be an issue.

[1968C30]

I needed a windshield for the 53 Pontiac station wagon. Nobody local could get it and could not tell me if or when they could get one. I found one one EBay from Auto City Classic $299 plus shipping $120 plus tax for a total $444.14. Glass was packed well. Had no success in getting someone to install it so my dad helped me and we installed it ourselves . Thanks Dad I could not have done it without your help!

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by special-K

That glass may be a real rare piece and this seller has what you need, so the price is high. He too needs to consider whoever buys it will have to add shipping to the part plus crating expense. The price could prohibit anyone from ever buying. The other side of the coin for the seller is he has to find someone with that rare vehicle that needs that glass. He could die before ever selling it

That is all true but this is one of those old car wrecking yards with hundreds of cars. He's sitting on a ton of parts. I'm just another customer.

What has shocked me is the price of VW parts. They used to be cheap. Not any more. Back in the day you could get a motor for $400. Forget about that now. More like $2000 and up depending on how big you want to go

[special-K]

I figured it was one of those desert salvage guys. It would be cool if you could get the windshield relayed to you by members. There was a time when that would be a consideration here.

I had a '55 Chevy 4dr Wagon and believe it or nor that was an oddball for parts. Same thing as your Satellite, the wagon specific parts. It needed a gas tank and no one made one. I had all the catalogs and nobody had any wagon specific parts.

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by special-K

I figured it was one of those desert salvage guys. It would be cool if you could get the windshield relayed to you by members. There was a time when that would be a consideration here.

I had a '55 Chevy 4dr Wagon and believe it or nor that was an oddball for parts. Same thing as your Satellite, the wagon specific parts. It needed a gas tank and no one made one. I had all the catalogs and nobody had any wagon specific parts.

Yup. The wagons are a whole different animal. And the oddball factor makes it more difficult.

At least there is the internet now. Otherwise I wouldn't stand a snowballs chance of finding one.

[jweb]

Is it just flat glass?
You could send a pattern to a place like this:
https://www.vendio.com/stores/bobscl...utoglass/about

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by jweb

Is it just flat glass?
You could send a pattern to a place like this:
https://www.vendio.com/stores/bobscl...utoglass/about

Unfortunately it's not flat.

Even flat glass can be a problem. I need side glass on my 1950 Packard. It's flat. Flatter than my first girlfriend. I can get the the glass cut but no one wants to work on a 72 year old car. At least no one that I've found. They blow me off. Not interested.

[KW5413]

How much is too much? When this becomes an issue its time to move on. I think this is why we see so many "project" cars / trucks on the interweb. Underestimated skill set, underestimated time and certainly underestimated investment. One, or any combination throws wants and dreams right out the window.

I can't do much wrench cranking anymore (thanks to being a Covid long hauler)...which is the reason I am down to one classic these days. Some items can be handled by my shop electrical tech who is pretty good with mechanical, as well. Saves me $$$ and makes him cash $$$ on the side. Anything major goes out to a local shop that has a great reputation for classic car repairs / builds. More importantly...a very honest shop.

Regardless these beasts' costs more $$$ to maintain, restore, and / or upgrade than ever before. For now, I accept this sad fact. I shop the internet as much as I can to get the best price on parts but, as many can attest, we have to be very careful with that. It seems the bad guys far outnumber the good guys. Thankfully, I have only been hosed once by another local shop.

I have to say, one reason I stuck with my '69 C10 is the availability of parts, how-to videos and last but certainly not least...this site.

[joedoh]

i thought this was for your oldie, that price doesnt sound crazy for what you are looking for.

BUT. i would ask the guy for a cash pickup price, and then as long as it will take to get to tx just take the most fuel efficient vehicle in your fleet and pick it up. you will save 85 for sure, an indeterminate amount on shipping, and maybe a little on the part too, and get a nice tour of the southern US. but for sure you wont end up with a crate of broken glass, looking for the NEXT rarest part.

once I personally delivered some parts that were getting damaged in freight to del rio tx. i got within 8 miles of it and the only bridge coming from northwest was closed. it was a 115 mile detour! i ended up looking back the road across the bridge to where I started 2 hours before.

[truckin 79]

That is why I buy stuff at the junkyard to resell. I realized years ago that the junkyard may or may not have the part I need so I might as well pick up a few parts from other vehicles that I know are valuable to resell. Those junk parts will pay for the parts I need for my project. I buy a lot of my new parts from Rockauto they usually have the best prices, maybe not for a 50's wagon.

[kwmech]

The shipping has skyrocketed the past year due to the green deal. I cancel orders now and then due to outrageous shipping costs. Just yesterday was for a set of spark plug wires. 45 dollars to ship a set of wires?? yeah...nope Now I'm getting e-mails saying I didn't complete my purchase. Ordered a set directly from Holley--shipping was 12.00

[FleetsidePaul]

Well the good news is that thanks to help from a member on the Mopar Forum I found another one. $181 bucks shipped. Can't beat that. I just hope that it shows up in one piece. I will be very disappointed if it shows up in a smashed up box like so many things do these days.

[joedoh]

sounds like free part with paid shipping!

[Boog]

$181 shipped. Now that's more like it. I hope it's a nice one for that amount.

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by Boog

$181 shipped. Now that's more like it. I hope it's a nice one for that amount.

Me too. But for that price I'll roll the dice. $90 for the glass and $91 for shipping from Minnesota. Not bad for a large item like that.

[Boog]

In case that one doesn't make it, didn't Dodge have their version of the Plymouth Satelite too? A check with a glass supplier might be helpful for cross references.