Warbird Information Exchange

Hi, guys I've been lurking for awhile now. I have a question as to what the value of a couple of parts I have in my garage. I want to sell them but don't have a clue as to how much to ask.
Hopefully I put this in the correct forum?

First is a Radio operators hatch for a late war B17G its in overall good shape but has slight crazing on the lower edge of the plexiglass.




second is a turbo super charger made by the Ford Motor company. It doesn't appear to have been used.



Thanks for your help,
Randy

if the supercharger can be overhauled i'd say it has significant value, epecially as a spare to a group or person operating a restored b-17. go try & find 1, let alone build a new 1 from scratch!!! as to the canopy, i'm sure somebody would replace the plexiglass. depending on condition it has value, but if it's corroded badly it has value to use it as a template for a restoration of a new 1. how did you get these items??

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

If I remember correctly somebody put a similar plexiglass canopy up on ebay about 6 months back. I think he was asking like $2,500 for it, but there were no takers.

John

$2500 is absurd! I got the Turbosupercharger from a guy here at a yard sale a few years back. The Plexiglass panel is one of two I found at a local car swap meet this summer. The guy didn't know what they were for and was going to graft them into the roof of his 1954 Lincoln, LOL!! I picked them up for $10 each! I kept the best one for myself see attached photo both show no sign of corrosion that I can tell, the zinc chromate on the insides are beautiful and you can still see and read all the inspection stamps. I just figured I'd sell one and make some bucks! I have been collecting warbird parts for years and unfortunately liquidated my collection when I was first married.

I agree....$2,500 is absurd which is why it never sold. Warbird parts can be very difficult to price since you never know who's in need of a particular part. Some people will "test the waters" so to speak and over-price a part just to see if someone bites on it.

I've run into this same scenario on numerous occasions with my never-ending search for ball turret parts. Some of these parts are rare and extremely hard to find. Over the years I've sometimes paid for parts at about 5-10 times what they'd normally be worth. As painfull as that can be to one's wallet, the alternative is not having the part at all (and probably never finding another one for the next 10 years).

I'm sure that in the past, someone has paid close to $2,500 for one of the hatches which just sets the bar that much higher for the next one that comes on the market (I admit I'm guilty of raising the bar on turret parts).

As for the turbo supercharger...Jay Wisler currently has one for sale on his website under the P-38 section (it's a late model B-33) which he's selling for $1,750. Not sure if this is a reasonable price or not. However, I did see one on ebay about 6 months back selling for a similar price (not sure if it ever sold though).

John

Know of any P-51 parts around?

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There I was at forty thousand feet when the autopilot jumped out with the only parachute on board and left me with nothing but a silk worm and a sewing kit