I just dyno'ed my motor yesterday at an engine builders shop I used to use, it was built by someone else ( long story ) the owner told me the industry is a mess, he can't get parts and when he can its a long wait. The recent buyouts and consolidations are making things even worse. I guess I was lucky I was able to get everything I have needed recently with no problem , my engine builder was able to get everything needed for my build also. I do see things on parts websites with delivery dates a few months away. I am tempted to buy a new set of the drag radials I use just to have them.

Funny you should mention tires... I was looking at a couple of different brands & sizes of drag radials for the new car, but hadn't made a decision.

One has been out of stock for "forever", but 6 units showed up in a particular vendor's inventory on Sunday. Checked again on Monday, still 6. Checked again last night thinking they were probably the way to go... all gone. None found anywhere else, except a vendor who is pricing them waaaay above market, so I'll pass.

Another of the options I've been considering seemed to have dried up last week, too. It wasn't my first choice, but now it doesn't even look like a viable second choice due to no inventory.

EDIT One option is still available from a "popular" source, but it turns out their inventory has been really slow moving so the tires are 6 years old. The manufacturer itself says they're out of stock, so trying to go directly to them isn't going to help.

I feel your pain i bought this years slicks (29.5×10.5s and 28x9.5s) last summer.

Yup. Between shortages and vendors just cancelling production of material, it's kind of like "whack-a-mole". Bearings are going to be in short supply - buy bearings, gaskets are going to be non-existent - buy gaskets, tires are going through the roof - buy tires, paint is like liquid gold - buy paint, suspension parts are being obsoleted - buy suspension parts......and on and on and on. You just end up careening from the current shortage of something to the next shortage of something else all the while ending up with inventory on the shelf hoping you made the right buying decisions when it comes time to use them.

I desperately believe now is the time to buy...but I can’t pull the trigger. I have absolutely no confidence in what the future holds performance automotive wise ( and not much else either). I have the parts I need for this season but not much more. I am delaying the rebuild of a motor waiting for the next shoe to drop.

I understand totally.

So, even the really old inventory of that one drag radial all moved very quickly in just the last few days. I'm guessing other people are feeling that same sense of urgency to grab what they can ASAP.

A different vendor popped up w/ 4 of the brand & size I'd begun to think I should go with, even though I wasn't 100% sure that's what I wanted to use. Blink once, blink twice... down to 2. Sh!t.

Bleep it... pulled the trigger on their last 2 simply to get "something" that should be acceptable, instead of waiting for more show up available when the timing's better.

This sounds like the new normal for the foreseeable future, unfortunately.

I felt the pressure at the end of last year. I pulled the trigger on a new aluminum block as I suspected a price increase was coming. A couple weeks after I received my block, the price went up $500. Now I'm dealing with shortages in getting parts to put it together. Luckily, I don't need much.

I have actually been getting calls about selling my race car!

It's a very cool car and would fit right into the local Nostalgia Stock / Super Stock series that I'd like to run the old Challenger in. As I recall you have some health issues that make it impractical (impossible?) for you to drive the car yourself, so that's gotta be a tough decision.

Last summer I bought a Factory Five cobra that desperately needed seats and wheels. I barely missed huge price increases on each. I paid $2300 for what is now $3400.

I bought a bunch of fishing tackle over the last few years to add to my 50+year collection and I'm thinking the cars can find new homes with young people who want them. Gonna wait a year or two and see how I feel then.

This is how runaway inflation gets started, people see prices going up and think to themselves, I better buy now because A. I will regret not buying it if the price goes up, and B. if I don't spend my money now it won't buy as much of anything in the very near future. When everyone does this it increases demand witch increases price and causes more people to panic and buy stuff witch causes prices to increase so buying increases... it could get real ugly real fast!

and this is why over the years, my "stuff" stash has grown to be almost unmanageable.
i'm real glad, however, that i have kept my steel supply. the price by pound or foot is crazy !

Lol

Just ordered a set of h beams from ohio, still the same price which suprised me. Same with 440 source heads, $600 a side. I have been searching high and low for big block main studs with no luck. You just can't count on anything being in stock week to week.

I also recieved a quote for a substabtial road repair project at work that was only valid for 7 days. Insanity!

I went out last week and bought all the oil I am going to need for my vehicles this year. 100 gallons or so. Ordered methanol for the car. Went to wally world last night and there wasn't a single gallon of diesel oil on the shelf. Been lucky so far with the race car parts. Got everything I need to get going.


Only problem I have is the shortblock getting done at the machine shop. If they get hung up on rings or bearings I might still get screwed.

I have been grabbing up any shell rotella 10w-30 diesel oil I can find since the stores have been almost sold out. I have enough for 2 years now. Hoping that will take us beyond this shortage. I found some here and there when I was out of NY state.

Since I retired last year, I've been helping out at a race engine shop near me, assembling race engines. Most of the work is bow tie stuff and it is unbelievable what you can't get right now. Used to be able to call one source for parts and it would show up the next morning. Now, IF you can find what you need, one piece comes from here, one from there and another from somewhere else. If you can find rocker arms, you can't find the shafts. You can get a crank & rods, but not the pistons. Cylinder heads, nope. And don't even think about ARP studs/bolts. For a while we couldn't get bearings. (You know its bad when you can't get rod bearings for a SB Chevy). As of Fri, I have 4 engines waiting on something to be able to complete them, one needs a cam, one needs intake gaskets, one needs lifters and the other is waiting on a oil pan. Hoping it gets better soon, but not showing any signs of it yet. And like the owner has been telling customers for a few months, "if you got an engine thats good, run what you got, this isn't a good time to be trying to change stuff".

Brian

It is a tough decision indeed! It would be too costly to put it back onto the street. I could actually see buying a Mopar daily driver if I were to sell my 64...