The Good Old days when it was cheap

[RJChallenger]

I was cleaning up the garage today, sorting out some papers. I found some old Mopar dealership receipts , one was for a 440 forged crank exchange, where you got back another crankshaft or wait 2 weeks and get yours back with new bearings. All for $ 144.00  . Another was for my 70 challenger grille and headlight bezels $ 176.00. I would hate to have to buy any of that stuff now.

[Cuda Cody]

Times have change for sure. 

[RUNCHARGER]

I really miss those days for sure. I spent lots of $$$ at the dealership parts department.

[jimynick]

It sure does sound cheap today, eh, but in 1971 I was making $2.oo/hr and that $144 crank would've taken nearly two full weeks worth of income- before taxes yet! 

[RUNCHARGER]

Yup: I remember spinning a bearing in my 440 in my 67 GTX in 1977. A rebuilt 440 was $1200 but for $1350 I could have gotten a new (not rebuilt) 69 440 shortblock with rebuilt 915 heads that Pacific reman (Chrysler Canadas west coast rebuilder division) was blowing out. I saved the $150 because it bought you a lot back then and took a while to save. I bet that $150 cost me about 40HP.

[Swamp Donkey]

I was cleaning up the garage today, sorting out some papers. I found some old Mopar dealership receipts , one was for a 440 forged crank exchange, where you got back another crankshaft or wait 2 weeks and get yours back with new bearings. All for $ 144.00  . Another was for my 70 challenger grille and headlight bezels $ 176.00. I would hate to have to buy any of that stuff now.

What were the dates on the receipts?

[ledphoot]

It's all relative.. As a child of the 80's with four older brothers I saw every kind of muscle car you can imagine that they picked up on the cheap. 66 Mustang GT, 67 Mustang GT, 69 Z/28, 69 Charger, 70 Challenger, 69 Mach I, 66 Comet Caliente Convertible, 68 Forumula S Cuda and the '73 'Cuda I am currently piecing back together. None of these cars were big money in the early 80's. My first Car was a '70 Cobra Torino, it was minty clean and all mine at 16. I wish we had all of these cars to this day, glad we still have a couple of 'em. Sadly this is a big $$$ hobby these days and kids just don't know what they missed out on.

I will say though, there is potential for a new generation with the modern "muscle cars" that are out, the Challenger, Charger, Camaro, Mustang and Vette... These cars will leave our old school muscle in the dust. While it's not the same, it's still cool.

[blown motor]

The trouble with new ones is that they're too much money for the younger crowd to get into them out of high school or college like we did. The new cars will never get the same following from the guys in their teens and twenties. We got lucky being born when we were.

[halftrackman]

Your right, it was the good old days. mopars were dime  a  dozen.  My first new 68 roadrunner  was 26 hundred.  I move from MI. in 72 to TN.  I open up a small speed shop for 8 years. I bought all kind of hot rod parts very cheap, dana 60, 50 dollars, six packs 100 dollars, all the good stuff cheap.  bought a 70 challenger se very nice,  3 hundred , 70 cuda 6hundred. you  know  back in the days ,a new  car  three or four years later were very cheap.   MY nephew just bought a 2016 hellcat and paid 48k, lot of money for a toy. I sure will not buy any of the new cars.   

[RJChallenger]

The receipts were from 1986. I just got married and told the wife that these parts were on sale and would no longer be available, That i just had to have them.  Now 32 years later and the parts are still sitting there, waiting t be used.

[RUNCHARGER]

When Direct Connection was started they had really good deals. I'm pretty sure my first cam and lifters from DC was $85, my friends at the engine shop I dealt with couldn't touch that deal. The electronic ignition kits were a great deal when they first came out too. These parts weren't Chinese either. In 1977 I bought brand new bumpers for my 67 GTX along with a bunch of other trim as well.

[dodj]

Another was for my 70 challenger grille and headlight bezels $ 176.00. I would hate to have to buy any of that stuff now.

I just bought a grille and bezels for about $900cdn. Wonder where 40 or so years of inflation would put that $176?

[CudaMoparRay]

Another was for my 70 challenger grille and headlight bezels $ 176.00. I would hate to have to buy any of that stuff now.

I just bought a grille and bezels for about $900cdn. Wonder where 40 or so years of inflation would put that $176?

$147 in 1986 equals $331.56 in 2018.
BTW this doesn't account for collectors demand which is usually much higher than inflation

[340challconvert]

Ad from the old SIAC newsletter from the early 1980's
Parts still available from the dealer