Classic Car Expert Reveals the 5 Most Overpriced Mopar Parts

The folks at Rocket Restorations, who have been reviving old Mopars for years, put together a top-five list of Mopar parts that tend to be overpriced at swap meets. And it may come in handy if you're restoring a Dodge or a Plymouth from the golden era. Here they are.

1. 1964-1966 Plymouth Barracuda rear window

The first-generation Plymouth Barracuda is pretty much famous for two things. It debuted a couple of weeks before the Ford Mustang, which makes it America's first pony car, and it has a massive, wraparound rear window.

The latter tops our host's list, and it's the feature that prompted them to film this video. It was posted following a 12-minute rant on Plymouth Barracuda window prices alone. Our host explains that many people believe these windows are worth a fortune because they're big, but they're actually almost worthless.

He recalls seeing Barracuda rear windows priced from $500 to $1,000 at swap meets, a ridiculous price tag for a piece of glass, even of this size and shape. What are these windows worth? Well, he says $100 to $150 is perfectly reasonable. The wraparound window was used from 1964 to 1966.

2. Long Ram manifolds

In 1960, Chrysler introduced Ram Induction on the 300F. A replacement for the dual carbureted wedge engine, the Ram induction increased air flow by designing resonance into the manifold system. Using equations for acoustics and resonance developed by German physicist Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz, Chrysler discovered it needed 30-inch long intake tubes to match the intake system to a 2,800-rpm engine speed.

Chrysler somehow managed to package eight such tubes under the hood, creating the Long Ram "Golden Lion" that sent 375 horsepower to the 300F's rear wheels. Also standard on the 1961 300G and optional on various Dodge and Plymouth models, the Long Ram was short-lived. Chrysler discontinued the design after only two years.

Although Long Ram manifolds are relatively scarce, our host says they're not worth as much as we think. He thinks the parts that go with them are actually rarer and worth extra dough. Usually listed for $1,000 to $1,500, Long Ram manifolds should cost $400 to $800.

3. 426 HEMI intakes

Produced from 1966 to 1971 and fitted in every Mopar muscle car, the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI is by far the most iconic Chrysler V8 engine from the golden era. Chrysler built around 11,000 of them, adding a hefty premium to any nameplate. Despite this, some components aren't expensive.

The intakes, which usually hit the market with various modifications, are among them. Our host says they should cost no more than $400, although early 1970s intakes may fetch a bit more due to scarcity. However, you shouldn't pay $700 or more for a HEMI intake.

4. 1971 Dodge Challenger rear fascia panel

A rear facia panel isn't the kind of feature you usually worry about unless you somehow damage the rear end of your car. If that vehicle is a 1971 Dodge Challenger, you shouldn't have trouble finding a new panel for pennies. Our host explains that even though the 1971 Challenger is much rarer than its 1970 sibling, these panels rarely get damaged due to being mounted a couple of inches deep into the fascia.

There are plenty of panels out there, and they're "nearly worthless." The fact that they're huge and expensive to ship also keeps their value down. All told, don't buy them for cheap, thinking you'll make a profit.

5. Points distributors

Seemingly crude by today's standards, points ignition distributors were used until the 1970s and still live on in classic cars. Diehard enthusiasts want to preserve this feature, even though it can be a hassle to maintain and tune.

Our host argues that most people want to go electronic these days and points out that distributors are no longer sought-after. Regular Mopar distributors aren't worth more than $200, while HEMI-spec units shouldn't cost more than $400 (they usually pop up for $700 or even $800). Find out more about these overpriced features in the first video below.

What about underpriced Mopar parts?

As a follow up, our host also created a top-five list of the most underated components. The list kicks off with aluminum intakes, but their not restricted to factory-stock units. Somewhat surprisingly, map lights for B-body cars and reverse lights for the 1969-1970 Dodge Charger and 1969 Plymouth Road Runners are also underpriced parts that could change hands for a lot more. The list also includes scatter shields and log exhaust manifolds. You can find out more about these in the second video below.