[mitchntx]

Has anyone else noticed that used aftermarket parts availabilty has gone up quite a bit? And has anyone noticed that parts sales seem to be way off?

I see longtube headers for sale and there are zero replies. OF course, in many cases, owners are asking 80-90% of retail. They must be smoking crack.

Camshafts and heads are in abundant supply ... but again, way over priced for used parts.

It appears that the mod market might be drying up a tad for this platform. Stands to reason ... it's been out of production for 2 1/2 years. I just find it interesting that parts are becoming more abundant, both retail and used, yet the costs are not coming down.

[Rob Hood]

Interesting thread!

I think that LS1 aftermarket parts costs still are relatively high due to lower overall production volume compared to Gen I SBC components. It is however, very odd that a discontinued vehicle commands such high aftermarket prices for its various bolt-on components. The ubiquitous header is perhaps a good item to compare and contrast. I paid roughly $240/$250 for a set of Hooker S/C headers for my 1979 Z back in 1988, and had them coated a few years later for $200. Today, even Hooker's own LS1 LT's cost over $400 UNcoated, and that's at the low end of the spectrum for exhaust parts. Other brands cost two to three times that, for roughly the same HP gain. That's one of the reasons why I don't have LT's - $900 for maybe 20-25 HP is too much dinero for such a small gain, IMO. I also don't think that inflation is the root cause of the overall price increases over the past several years, but I'm no economist.

However, it does appear that the aftermarket has upped ante by producing a better quality product, as many parts truly are now a "bolt-on." I think many new or newer companies (compared to the aftermarket companies that existed in the late 70's/early 80's) were started by people who were simply tired of bolt-ons not really being bolt-ons. And of course, you do get what you pay for. Quality construction, improved durability and reliability, all cost more. That same set of Hookers I bought for my 1979 Z were made in Mexico (pre-NAFTA no less), and I had several fitment problems, most notably the #1 pipe not clearing the #3 plug (I had angleplug heads) without dimpling the pipe, and until I got a Tilton mini-starter, I had massive header clearance problems with the OE starter. I'm not saying that all new LS1-based headers are a perfect fit, but I think most aftermarket manufacturers are building a better exhaust component now. My Flowmaster AT cat-back has been on the car since July 1999, and is still in good shape.

If GM doesn't revive the F-body somehow, someway, as a moderately low-cost V8/RWD platform, I am convinced they will lose a vast portion of the youth market for good (if they haven't already) and the trickle-down effect of that will hit the aftermarket very hard, perhaps ultimately causing jobs to be lost.