Ok, so the title says it all, so there I was, just mind'n my own business and.... my pocketbook grow a zipper and a padlock all at once!

I went to NAPA, and gave the man at the counter a complete list of all the parts to rebuild my front end, and told him to make sure they are all the Dana/Spicer versions (gold series or whatever). They wanted $753.25 for the whole thing. To make a long story short, most of it was in stock, but some had to be ordered, I told him to go ahead and order the remaining pieces in and give me a ring when they arrive.

Now, here's the question, is it really worth spending the extra cash on these parts? I can get a complete poly set from PST for 310 bones. This car is meant to be able to be driven on the street, but not a pro touring car or anything, so that aspect of poly stuff I don't really care about. The only real thrashing this car will see is at the quarter. My main concern is safety and reliability of the PST stuff on the limited street time this car will see, and at the track as well. Help me out here guys!

Thanks! :)
Jake

Take a look at this. Click (http://eastcoastchevelle.com/productview.php?cat=Suspension&id=1145395246)

I just bought all the front end stuff mentioned in that link plus a drag link and idler arm.. I bought from a well-known long term Moog dealer, the tab was a little over $500. I would wonder about the parts offered at the prices in that link. That shop have a known good reputation?

As far as the NAPA deal goes, if you go to NAPA and pay list price across the counter you are going to pay through the nose. Their jobber price list is about competitive with the rest of the world. I wouldn't buy a bunch of expensive stuff from them if I had to pay list. Jake, PM me I'll send you the link to the place I used.

Jake, this really belonged in the Suspension section?

You can get Moog for half that. And that is most likely what is in the NAPA box.

You can get Moog for half that. And that is most likely what is in the NAPA box.NAPA parts are DANA/Spicer, and the reason MOOG are half the cost is because they are half the quality.

DANA/Spicer are have forged and precision-machined ballstuds with tighter tolerances and smoother, low-friction operation superior to any other parts-store items... There are better (such as Howe Precision) but those are in a league of their own and double or triple the cost of the DANA/Spicer joints.

I believe DANA/Spicer are exclusive to NAPA, but if you can run it through a shop account, you can save some money there... my local NAPA lets me run anything through my Dad's shop-account, and pay for it there, so Dad never gets a bill. :) Maybe you could convince the counter-guy to run it through with a local shop's discount. ;)

NAPA parts are DANA/Spicer, and the reason MOOG are half the cost is because they are half the quality.

DANA/Spicer are have forged and precision-machined ballstuds with tighter tolerances and smoother, low-friction operation superior to any other parts-store items... There are better (such as Howe Precision) but those are in a league of their own and double or triple the cost of the DANA/Spicer joints.

I believe DANA/Spicer are exclusive to NAPA, but if you can run it through a shop account, you can save some money there... my local NAPA lets me run anything through my Dad's shop-account, and pay for it there, so Dad never gets a bill. :) Maybe you could convince the counter-guy to run it through with a local shop's discount. ;)

Well, that's what I was think'n about doing. I could of used my employeers account (utility contractor), but I don't know how much it will save, probably not even the tax, but it's worth a shot. We do a lot of business with them, but nothing on the scale that a repair shop would.

Oh yeah, tom, if you want, you can go ahead and move this to the proper forum. Thanks! Sorry bout that, just thought I might get the drag racers opinion.

Well, from a drag-racing perspective, the lower-friction of a precision machined balljoint will aid in faster weight transfer... so maybe it does belong here. ;) :D

I know I'm a bit late here, but my opinion -- you won't ever feel the difference. Get the cheaper set and spend the money where you WILL feel it: better tires and a better alignment. Also, you could spend the money on a quality steering box rebuild which would be worth far more in terms of performance than the difference between selecting Dana and Moog bushings or tie rod ends. Also, my opinion is that poly bushings are not better on the street. Just my own conclusions after 3 complete Chevy front end overhauls in my driveway. Next time around I will do the cheapest set with stock rubber bushings, and spend the difference on a steering box rebuild or tires.

i'd get at least Moog stuff. the Chinese junk they sell you in the cheapo rebuild kits they advertise on the back cover of all the magazines isn't worth what you could get if you turned the parts in for scrap.
you get metric nuts that fit loosely on the threads, the studs either don't go deep enough into the spindle, or go too far, and there is about 50% less metal used to make them compared to the Moog stuff.
the good stuff costs more than the cheap junk- but $750? damn, that's a lot. if you talk to an owner/manager, i bet you could get that price cut almost in half. everything i ever get at parts stores- even places i've never been in before- is usually about half off the "list" price.
don't bother getting poly bushings- i put stock replacement Moog rubber bushings in my Nova, and when i put it together, i tightened everything down without the springs in place, and could grab the spindle and move it up and down with a little resistance and no bind. once i got it together and drove it, it handled awesome.

$750 is absolutely insane IMHO and experience!!

Moog is fine. I wouldn't spend over $500 on parts unless you plan on beating the crap out of the suspension. On the other hand is piece of mind. Do what make you feel safe.

try these guys ...for spicer pro series and moog ...idler arm,center link,and all tie rods and sleeves for under 3 bills shipped ....cheapest price I could find

order in the morning get next day....bcs its freaky as can be bcs when I was writing this post the UPS man came ....:yes:

http://www.rockauto.com/

I've been out of touch on suspension stuff the past few years, but just did a friend's '71 GTO last weekend. He didn't get an idler arm or center link, but all Moog bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends and sleeves he paid $400 from Ames Performance. I started thinking he got took, until I started researching prices. Wow, that stuff has gone up in the past 8 years or so. I got everything for the El Camino, including the idler arm, center link, poly bushings, body bushings, and big swaybar for $750 shipped a few years ago from PST. Maybe the current pricing has something to do with that big fire a couple years ago, wasn't that TRW or Moog's warehouse?

Use Moog.

FWIW I bought Spicer stuff through rockauto.com and I felt the prices were pretty good.

As posted above, Rock Auto sells Spicer stuff for very low prices. As for NAPA and Spicer, the connection probably goes back to day one when Charles Dana and some pals started NAPA.