Hey All,
I have the opportunity to aquire a 4 bbl carb and manifold set up for my '66 Delta 88. The parts are on an original 4 dr. Delta 88 425 that is a 1 family owned car (from new) that got retired to the woods out back of their property. The car was never wrecked and is, as far as I know, totally intact......just very rusty and not worth restoring.
I've never priced up an OEM 4 bbl set up and the owner has no idea what the combo would be worth, neither do I for that matter. I know that things are worth what someone is willing to pay but I need a ballpark figure to work with.
I don't want to overpay nor do I want the owner to feel that I'm offering a low-ball price. I want to stay on the gents good side because you never know when he might know where something interesting might be located.

Can anyone educate me as to what a fair price would be that would make both seller & buyer feel good about the deal.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

You're talking about stuff off a generally run-of-the-mill car.
(meaning it's not a 442/Hurst with #'s pointing to such etc etc).

You would probably want to cleanup - blast & paint the intake before using.

You would probably want to cleanup & rebuild the carb before using. ***

*** However ... I'm not even sure you'd want to use that carb.

I believe the 66 carbs were fire hazards... which hopefully someone else here can/will jump in with the details.

Assuming I'm correct about the issues with 66 carbs ... I'd consider it near useless to me.

I assume you will be removing this stuff yourself ?.

If so ... that saves the seller the time/labor/hassle of having to remove them/box them/burn up their gas to go ship them etc etc etc.

Taking all I said into consideration ...

I would probably start the negotiating at $50 as the intake would be the only thing of real use to me.

$100 would probably be my ceiling ... which IMHO would be generous considering I would be the one doing the work.

 

His is the 66 88. He doesn't say whether the donor 88 is 66....confused yet?
Any way, if the donor happens to be a 65 88, buy the bumpers and the carb and intake, sell the bumpers to me, and viola, your intake and carb are FREE!!

 

Oh yeah, forgot, if the donor 88 is a factory dual exhaust car, I'll take the exhaust manifolds also,,,even run of the mill cars need love, and people like me who love em need parts!

 

You do know that if the 425 was original with the 4bbl, it may be the higher hp version with more comp ratio.....steel crank of course....425 is one sweet engine.....Oh Hell, you better just buy the WHOLE THING!

 

I'm not even sure about $50.

Cast iron intakes are a dime a dozen, and, if watching the parts offered on here is any guide, go for scrap value or less if not "restored" by blasting and painting. Usually when they move at all, they go for free, or the cost of shipping.

An old QuadraJet from a junked car sitting out in the weather for years is also not worth much. I know prices have gone up, but I see this as a $5 item. If the junkyard owner is an SOB, maybe a $20 item. And, as the Foiled One said above, if it's an original QJ, it has the oddball float system that was prone to failure and overflowing fuel - most were modified or replaced under warranty.

Honestly, I'd say $20 would be a generous price to pay a friend for the whole thing, especially if you're the one taking it off.

- Eric

 

The car is a '66 Delta 88 Town Sedan (I think) as the owner didn't specify which model 4 dr. it is and I didn't get around to asking. IIRC, there was mention made about power windows. I was talking to the owner at a Show 'N Shine so our conversation was bouncing around from one thing to another; everything from cars to politics to the price of stuff. I told him that I'd ask around and get some opinions concerning going prices and we could start from there.

The car's in private hands and I'd be the one to remove the parts. From what I was told, the car is totally intact.

A few years ago he was considering fixing it up because it was his Dad's car from new. But time slipped by and now the body has deteriorated to the point that it just isn't worth doing.....his words, not mine.

Thanks for the replies, they've been helpful.

 

Actually, it's my understanding that all 425's have forged crankshafts.....that's what the old Mechanic Guy I bought the car from told me. Read that somewhere as well.

I 'd be tempted to buy the whole car except my Missus would probably banish me to the dog house or worse. I already have 2 other project & 1 parts cars in storage....another one would be the proverbial straw.

 

I love most of the old 88's myself.

My use of the phrase run of the mill wasn't meant to be insulting ... just fact.
(in case that's what you thought I was implying)

Example ...

This isn't a 3x2 setup off a W30 nor is it even a standard 4bbl setup off of a regular 442 ... thus the desirability to most is low.

As stated they are generally just a dime a dozen at the end of the day - made of heavy iron - etc etc etc.

My value ceiling of no more than a $100 was probably too generous ...

For that money or not much more ... one could probably hold out & wait for a used Edelbrock Performer to come along & save a few pounds in the process.

And for the record ...

It would be nice to see the 425 & any other good parts get saved if at all possible.

 

I'm going to try and save as many trim pieces as I can. Hopefully there isn't too much pitting or chrome peeling. I'd like to snag the bumpers if they aren't too bad; along with the OLDSMOBILE name band under the trunk lid. Might grab the bumper jack too if its there.

Concerning the 4 bbl. manifold, the reason I'm going with the OEM cast iron one is that I want to keep the car factory correct. I'm not interested in having it look non-authentic, even though it isn't a factory 4 bbl car.

That's just me and no bad reflection on anyone's suggestions or opinions.

I do appreciate and enjoy reading other member's thoughts & opinions even if they don't always coincide with mine.

 

Pretty sure the intake is identical to that used on same year 442 (and 67 as well). If it has the divorced choke setup, that is also a rare piece and somewhat valuable.

 

Haven't even seen the car yet, just was talking to the owner at the show 'n shine.
Anyone got a photo of what the "divorced" choke set up looks like? It would be nice if this particular doner car has that set up.....but I won't hold my breath.
Once I get a look at the car I can assess whats there/what condition and let the forum members know in case anyones looking for anything.

 

"I love most of the old 88's myself.

My use of the phrase run of the mill wasn't meant to be insulting ... just fact.
(in case that's what you thought I was implying)"



NO, NO, not insulted at all. In fact "run of the mill" is a good thing, means these cars are at least still somewhat affordable to play around with! You just have to have LOTS of garage space!!

 

Right here.
The red one has a divorced choke, the gold one has a hot air choke.



If it is a 1969 or earlier, it does.
They are NOT rare.

- Eric

 

Thanks Eric,

Now I know what I'm looking at.

BTW, ever been to Ayotte's yard out near Oxford? I hear there's lots of 50's-60's cars there.

Gonna try and get there sometime in Sept. We went to another yard last weekend.......a ton of old stuff there....mid 30's up to the end of the 60's, got to be close to 250-300 cars there. Sure hope that place dosen't get crushed anytime soon.

 

Ayyyup. One of my favorite spots for a lunch on a nice day (but a bit too far for me to get to very often). Just sit under the trees and listen to the cars rust.

I've got a bunch of parts from there, but they don't have anything really good, as everything was rusted to nothing before it was junked, and it's all sunk to the rockers in mud.

Nice for little trim pieces and such, though, and just for fun .

Also, his prices tend to vary once he opens that first beer, but I haven't figured out whether they go up or down.

- Eric

 

Oh shoot...........thought they might have what I'm looking for........I need a front subframe & inner panels for a "GASP" '70 AMC Rebel....just another one of my projects on the back burner.....don't suppose you'd know where I could find a derilect one do'ya?

 

The manifolds may be the same up to '69, but the 1966 divorce choke is unique; when they come up for sale at all, quite pricey.

 

Looks like the one on this auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-GM-Delco...282260&vxp=mtr

 

Okay. I'd be interested to confirm whether the manifold receptacle for the choke spring is different or the same on the '66, seeing as how the choke spring assembly is different.

Anybody know?

- Eric

 

Yeah, undercarriage parts can be a problem there, since all of the cars are sunk into the mud, and the trees have grown up around them, making it impossible to get a machine in to lift them free and expose the bottoms.

- Eric

 

Ya, I was afraid of that....that other yard we visited was pretty much the same. Still that yard had a lot of decent fenders, doors & hoods. A few outbuildings with seats, steering wheels and other goodies.

 

I believe the manifold itself is the same, just the choke coil/housing is different.

 

Okay, thanks.

I had meant to say that the manifolds (which is what he was asking about) were all the same, not that the chokes were all the same, so I was a bit confused. I've got it now.

- Eric