big buck carburators

[RCC]

Friend wanted large 4 barrel for hi revvin' small block drag motor he was building. In my street/strip days, I ran Holley double pumpers religiously and suggest trying one.
Poor man freaked when he saw 750-850 cfm Holley cost $800!
I bought them for $100 new and ≤$50 back in 60s/70s.
Why are they so expensive now?

 

[2011Supercab]

I bought them for $100 new and ≤$50 back in 60s/70s.
Why are they so expensive now?

Gas was $0.30 a gallon
Cigarettes were $0.45 a pack
A hamburger at McDonald's was $0.19

 

[Lefty]

An entire car cost $2,000-$3,000 in those days. Times change.

I had a Holley way back when. I loved it too.

I would imagine that Edlebrock isn't much cheaper either.

 

[Josh B]

Friend wanted large 4 barrel for hi revvin' small block drag motor he was building. In my street/strip days, I ran Holley double pumpers religiously and suggest trying one.
Poor man freaked when he saw 750-850 cfm Holley cost $800!
I bought them for $100 new and ≤$50 back in 60s/70s.
Why are they so expensive now?

Because I'm hoarding a dozen of them in a trash barrel in an old shed

 

[RCC]

I agree with you guys. Everything cost like hell these days. But carbs are simple low tech devices. Oughta be way cheaper than computerized fuel injection.
Josh reminded me of three drawers fulla Holley carb parts and rebuilt kits I kept in garage back then.

 

[19Walt93]

The Holley 80457, 600 cfm, electric choke,vacuum secondary carb on my Mustang cost $175 in 1992, the one on my Ranger cost $341 in 2020, and now they're $450+.

 

[Josh B]

It's because our money is getting more and more worthless :/

 

[19Walt93]

It's because our money is getting more and more worthless :/

That's no joke. When I started at the dealer in 1975 the retail labor rate was $10 and I got $3.50, you could buy a basic Pinto for $3000. When I retired in 2017 the labor rate was $109.00 and $3000 wouldn't buy most reman transmissions..

 

[sgtsandman]

To add to this, it’s a volume vs cost thing. Not a lot of vehicles use a carburetor anymore. So, they are going to cost more as a result.

 

[superj]

i think that is a big part of it. /\

 

[Shran]

If you sold 20,000 carbs in 1992 for $175, you made $3.5 million.

Assuming demand slows dramatically by 2023 and you only sell 5000, you would need to charge $700 each to make the same $3.5mil... that's not accounting for inflation or anything.

Simple economics

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Even a rebuilt 2150 2bbl is in the 300 range. For a good one.

 

[RCC]

Low demand for obsolete technology has to be reason carb prices are outrageous.
I haven't bought a rebuild kit in dozen years. Probably don't sell them anymore.
Not many people know how to work on carburators these days.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Low demand for obsolete technology has to be reason carb prices are outrageous.
I haven't bought a rebuild kit in dozen years. Probably don't sell them anymore.
Not many people know how to work on carburators these days.

Rebuild kits are still readily available

 

[Josh B]

I didn't know they were in demand, I have 4 or 5 2 BBL, a number of one BBL and 2 or 3 4 BBL
A guy that worked at the Ford house all his life also worked in his back yard all his life, there were at least a half a dozen sheds.

My mother called me once and asked if I had time to help one of her friends clean out some sheds