Why are front end rebuild kits so expensive??

At least you don't own a C-body, like me. I rebuilt all my front ends and didn't pay near those prices. I took my time and got deals on ebay, rockauto, and Autozone. Prices vary 3x between vendors. I also got improved parts, whereas the kits have the difficult 1-piece strut rod bushings and don't have the Moog offset UCA bushings you need. I was a bit jiggy at first and paid $60 ea for my early-A ball joints, then years later got some Moog ones (China) for $15 ea. I now buy ahead when I see a deal. I also didn't replace parts that felt fine, like my upper ball joints and tie rod ends, just installed poly dust covers.

You won't find a single PN for a kit at Napa or Autozone, only at PST, Kantor, etc. You have to know what parts to buy, so read up here, or pay big $$$ for a kit.