( Last post for a while; I've overloaded the forum in the last couple of days )

Has the current supply chain chaos given you a sense of urgency about buying parts, tires, etc., "now" if you come across something that you think you'll need, rather than risk not being able to find them when you know for sure you need (or can better afford) them?

I already have hoarding tendencies, so this situation is just making it worse.

I ordered new 1/4 panels for my 69 back in October, because I read on here the price was going up from AMD. So far I've only received one of them... The other was supposed to be ready this last week, but that has come and gone, and now says it will be May before arriving. Wouldn't surprise me if that got pushed out longer as well. I figure I better order the sheetmetal stuff I need now, before it no longer is made.

Im already waiting on many parts for the new racecar. Ive hoarded enough over the years and have alot of stuff I don't need. I can tell you I have sold a number of parts to others who are waiting, oil pans, Jesel stuff, etc. I was told by CP that we have thousands of orders in front of us for another engine we are doing and to expect 4-5 month wait. They have the equipment and the materials just cant hire anyone to run the machines. They hire and hire, train and then they leave. Seems to be a common thing these days in this business.

i have been acquiring parts for my charger over the last several years, so i have most of what i need to get it back running.
however, if i run across something that grabs my attention, i will snag it if i can afford it.
got a hip replacement coming April the 7th, so that will slow me down a little. can't be too much worse than it is now, however.

I just retired and had my "Golden Handshake" I need / want plenty of stuff and would buy it but it all appears to be on back order, just my luck

Sure do. That’s why I bought most of the parts to build a Hemi. That project is a few years up the road. Once those prices go up, pretty sure they will not be coming back down.

Does the "extra" BMP aluminum block I just bought count?
I ordered it in July 2021 thinking I should get another while they are available. And then it took 8 months.

I am thinking about buying a spare set of connecting rods for my B1 engine. And it hasn't even been started yet.
Hoping to get it on the dyno this weekend, or soon after.

I've always been a try to plan ahead person and have everything I need on hand for when I start a project. I used to be real big into racing and points. I'd try to have a spare motor, trans, or anything large in case I broke something and wouldn't miss a race. As I've gotten older the desire isn't there like it once was. I do now look ahead and try to figure out maintenance items or ways to make things more budget friendly and buy in advance, esp with the long lead times on parts. With Jegs changing hands I'm wondering how that's going to effect things and if prices are going to sky rocket as well, so I've been trying to stock up on some items that I will need.

Yes. Everything. Waiting on stuff to be available for cars in the shop.

Everything else trying to get it gathered as I can afford it. Paper towels to hardware to parts & oil to ammo, etc., etc. Money is losing value. Hard parts and commodities are gaining.

Shipping is going nuts. UPS retroactively charged me fuel surcharge (and it wasn't 50 cents) for parts shipped 10 days earlier and delivered 4 days ago

That's going to spike everything.

Kinda....Maybe a little, but the problem is I've already got too much.

After the Hemi was running, my plan back in spring 2020 to sell off hoarded stuff that I had no definite plans for within the next 10 years,
and convert all the funds to GTX Sheetmetal took place. In the end, maybe a little over half the hoard was dumped. Alot of Folks got great deals.

And even after that purge, I still have alot of parts left from the old job timeframe

Fast forward to when the supply issues really hit, and at that time I was left feeling very lucky I was decisive enough to have got rid of all that stuff and filled my shop with a bunch of giant AMD boxes instead. People were posting they couldn't get quarter panels and so forth
not too long after mine arrived.

No regrets......If I had waited much longer to replace metal on the thing, I'd feel like I didn't really have much of a car to use any of the parts on anymore.....

Super thankful for the ability to work from home since mid March 2020, and don't think I could have done it otherwise.

I have been trying to do everything ahead of schedule. I knew slicks were hard to get so I bought a set for this year. I also bought two sets of front tires that will be going on early this season. I lost my local alcohol connection so instead of driving 7 miles each way its own 40 miles so I’ll by two barrels instead of one as the price is going up for sure. It already went up 45.00 a barrel from my last purchase. The 408 in my car is fresh but I already received a Molnar 4 inch crank for my 422. Rods from Molnar are on backorder. I will be mic’ing the crank for bearing size so I can order them ASAP and since Cometic gaskets take longer than usual I will get an order in for those. If you wait till you need things and wait you will miss some races. I even filled my dodge diesel up today so I have it full for test n tunes in April

I honestly did when I bought the Predator top-end. This is for a future state of build for my program and it doesn't appear that Indy will be producing them soon from my sources. I payed what i consider was fair but I'll have more into them likely then if i could have bought new. People are blaming the administration for these times but I lump most politicians into the same category. The perceived heads of state couldn't hold their own reasoning with a sixth grader, even when they were in their prime. To me, that reads like someone else is running the country/the world. Not sure what's going to happen when the bubble pops but, EVERYTHING is changing radically.

I need to get new lifters and top end gaskets for an upcoming cam swap. All I really have planned this year is drag week in september. It runs fine now so I won't take it apart until I have everything here!

Guys
Most of you here know me and I am telling you straight. IT is going south at record speed....Across the boards no vendor is immune. BE careful ordering as I am seeing some companies selling "bottom of the barrel" stuff and things that might be "close but no cigar" stuff and trying to return it later is a PITA.....Todd

I am seeing some trends at work as well.............part availability is spotty at best , and even commonly used items are getting harder to source.
This is from major manufacturers too............not just small shops.
We do small engine repair for everything from weed whips to starting units and welders.
Not to mention repairs on all manner of hand and power tools.
If you ever feel compelled to look for the missing link , start with the supply chain.
There's a lot of missing links.
And I suspect that many are not coming back.

I have put in some engine oil, both gas and diesel. Everyone was out of Rotella last fall and when it did come in, it was much higher. I haven't hoarded up a ton, but I did put in enough to get me through this year. No doubt it will go up, if we can get it at all.

Fortunately, I don't have any Mopar projects hanging.

To be honest I have been in that mode as long as I have been interested in cars. Recently that mode of operation has become rather expensive LOL. I am going through my spares and trying to put stuff I won't use on the market to help people get ready for this season.

To answer Brad's question, no, I'm not feeling pressure to buy non-essentials. Kind of enjoying the change in pace and caused me to better embrace more important things.

And to Todd's point, many of the purchases (generally not car related) since summer 2020 have been plagued with problems, irrespective of the suppliers/manufacturers name.

I think by the time you guys get your parts the EPA won't let you drive them anymore.

That will be f*ckup

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...

That is true if there is something to buy. But when the shelves are empty, no amount of money is going to buy something off them.

Not sure this falls under the same category (well, it does and it doesn't), but I also tried to purchase something else the same day last week I ordered those hard-to-find tires. I noticed my charge card hadn't been updated for the second purchase this morning, so I contacted the seller asking about it. Turns out they advertised they had inventory (four at the time), but actually didn't because "it's an old ad." Hadn't contacted me to let me know the sale wasn't going through, and doesn't sound like he even knew I'd placed the order three business days later. How do people stay in business while doing this brain-dead sh!t?

A bit of advice for times of high inflation and uncertain violence:
"What I spent, I had; what I saved, I lost".
When?
14th century France.

Molnar rods are expected after April as I got from our talk today rod piston pin bushings are a major issue to get right now. Last time I ordered Cometic gasket they we’re backordered 10 weeks minimum for production. I called Don at 4secondsflat and the girl told me they are down to two weeks so I went ahead and ordered them.

Yup, back in October I finally was able to verify the fact that the guides in my Stealth heads were shot on a Friday afternoon. I was thinking about the cost of guides and a valve job and if it was worth it. I went to Summit to check how bad the backorder on Trick Flow 240s was and they had 8 heads in stock. I started contemplating ordering, when I went to fix it over the winter I probably wouldnt be able to get them...

Later that night it dropped to 6, and I ordered mine once I saw it drop. They were sold out by Monday AM.

A few weeks later I was checking in to see if they had any intakes and they did so I ordered one. I still haven't gotten around to installing them, but at least I'll have them. Ordered the bolts too (which were in stock when I got the heads).

No politics

I might be SOL on my car this season....We will see. I have a couple of cars I can barrow though.

Quite the opposite actually. I normally have a pile of parts by now for things I wanted to do during the Spring, but I'm holding onto my money right now. Something more pressing than hobby expenditures might crop up.

Flip side of the coin for me... last year I thought too far ahead and bought some QT Pro Radials from the local Hoosier. My plan to switch to radials has yet to happen, and may not ever. So I'm sitting on a $900 set of tires that I might never use, but if they're now that hard to find then maybe i won't lose any money if i do sell them off.

i was working and selling stuff this week at the Mopar/Muscle show here in Vegas. Parked cars a couple days and helped with some of the race classes. In between I was selling stuff at the swap meet. I will tell you I have NEVER sold as much stuff as I did in two half days this weekend. I was blown away sold everything I had I no longer wanted/needed in those two half days. No dickering either, but I am usually more than reasonable when selling parts.

Just pulled my Dart out of a long stretch in storage and got it back on the road. This is the first time I've driven it since 2009. Seems like I picked a poor time to get back into this hobby.

I just got my eyes opened again today when I tried buying two Kevlar powerglide bands. Cheese and rice.

Well Don at 4secondsflat told me wait time was around 2 weeks for Cometic Gaskets when I ordered them 3-14-22. Well they showed up today so he just about guessed that perfect.

That's not bad. I need to order some from them.

I did just buy 6 new 275-40-20 nexen drag radials. :-)

I have been trying to hold off for a set of TFS 270's. Seeing how deep the waitlist is I chose to buy a set of stealth's for the 451. I'm still looking for the TFS's for a new bullet but not in a hurry at this point.

Times are certainly rough in general, but no time is a poor time to pull that Dart out and get it goin’ again. Congrats and hope you enjoy it.

Definitely feel the pressure to buy now. I’ve been collecting things as I can find/ get them for my next build. The next expenditure will be for a valvebody. Want a CRT full manual but they won’t even answer an email. Looking for alternative supplier that will talk to customers.
Open to suggestions.
Want a rmvb for 47re.

I haven't really felt any pressure, I have been pretty fortunate most everything I wanted has been available at a decent price but I am not building a new car or engine.
Actually, I found some deals on shop equipment this year and have been unloading some firearms that I don't shoot for good money.
As long as I have my job and my dog is healthy I don't feel pressure from anything else.