Lowend Feel free to jump in on this as your advice is based on experience with autocrossing.

Ok all I priced the steering gear from Auto Zone and O'Reilly's auto parts to compare prices. O'Reilley's has MOOG stuff ball joints and steering gear. Auto Zone has Perfect Circle stuff. I was going to buy Energy Suspension front poly bushings from Auto Zone cause no one else locally carries them.

So Autozone all steering gear and ball joints comes to $291.00

O'Reilley's all MOOG steering gear and Moog ball joints comes to $379.00

Add $62.00 for the front a-arm poly bushings puts the price at the Zone for $353.00 and Big O at $441.00

I have checked some prices at Summit and all places are really close plus they are local so no shipping and problems with getting the wrong parts plus warantee stuff is easier to deal with.

So has anyone had any problems with less expensive ball joints and stuff?
I know PST does not list that thier stuff is Moog components so I guess its the another brand.
Now I am not going to do any autocrossing but I like a curvey road like the next second gen owner. Is it really worth the extra dollars. I am leaning towards the moog stuff anyway. I used Global West bushings in the car that came off the rotisserie and Moog ball joints in it because I plan to lean on it pretty good. I also used Moog in my Nissan pickup because all the off roaders said it stronger than the off brand.

I have used both, and I prefer the moog for high load, I snapped a autozone tierod on a 4x4 truck offroading, not the best place to break a part, but I did abuse the crap out of the thing

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I'm not familiar with the Perfect Circle brand... But I have never heard any complaints about Moog or Spicer

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We bought some PST stuff a while back. It was all (reboxed) moog. I could tell by the appearance and part #'s on the components.

I like moog. But I wonder who makes moog components. Plus they gotta pay NA$car a big pile of dosh every year. How many chassis parts manufacturers are there now? 1 or 2? Federal Mogul and? Who makes AC delco stuff?

Some of the zone junk is made in china. Avoid this stuff like the plague, but apparently the higher quality pieces are all from the same place but in different priced boxes.

I would heartily recommend that you do not purchase or install Energy Suspension poly bushings on your car.
You will regret it.
This is the voice of experience talking, and the disgusting sound of that awful creaking and binding is the background music I wish I could post for you. No amount of greasing with any grease type will keep these things quiet for any length of time.
If the outside temp is just right, you will be rewarded for your purchase with everyone staring at you in traffic. eee-oh eee-oh eee-oh down the road and you will hear every single movement of your control arms, no matter how small.

you can run them loose, no solution. They still sound off, and you've got parts moving around.
you can run them tight, and get plenty of binding to go along with your graunching and squeeking.

I asked and asked Energy Susp for advice, and never recieved a single reply in a year and a half. Tried everybody's grease... no way to shut these things up. They are the worst parts I have ever purchased for any of my cars.

I'm installing Del-A-Lums which are non-binding and quiet.

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Aero80

I have just put a set of "polygraphite" bushings in mine. They are supposed to be quiet and non-binding. Somehow, they "impregnate" graphite into the plastic. May just be BS for all I know.

If you have a NAPA dealer near you, go in and ask them to explain the differences between the Moog line and their premium line of ball joints and steering components. They handle both. It was enough to convince me to go with theirs on a '80 project I'm just starting.

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'79 Z28,White w/camel tan interior,Cowl induction hood,T-10 4SPD,350 RamJet (polished),Jet-Hot coated Hooker Headers,Magnaflow dual exhaust,11" Ram clutch,9" 370 Posi,Rock Valley fuel tank,Vette Brakes monoleaf suspension,AGR quick ratio steering,Baer 4 wheel brakes,17X9 Cragars w/275/40X17's F&R

My 81 Z 28 has gone through 2 sets of TRW lower ball joints in the last 2 years. Regular greasing (at the 3,000 mile oil/filter changes) didn't help them last. The Tire America guys (were I keep getting the front end aligned) keep telling me to get Moog ball joints as they know from experience the "lifetime guarantee" on the cheaper stuff isn't worth the trouble of replacing them. My next set will be Moog.

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81Z4ME

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by hotrod:
If you have a NAPA dealer near you, go in and ask them to explain the differences between the Moog line and their premium line of ball joints and steering components. They handle both. It was enough to convince me to go with theirs on a '80 project I'm just starting.

</font>


I have a NAPA nearby I use MOOG on my 2wd truck and it gets airborn from time to time(wink wink) no problems yet.

I would love to go to Global West Bushings but cost is a big issue right now $200 just for bushings ouch. I allready used GW on my other car to bad its really far from completion. The Energy bushings are only $62 for the set of 8 for the 4 front control arms. Maybe I will just use stock rubber bushings they lasted 144,000 miles originally.


Thanks all for all of your information


[This message has been edited by f-body (edited October 30, 2003).]

Ok so I went to NAPA HOLY$HIT!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a recap
So Autozone all steering gear and ball joints comes to $291.00

O'Reilley's all MOOG steering gear and Moog ball joints comes to $379.00

But NAPA comes to $584.00 for all steering gear and ball joints.

Guess what its MOOG stuff for my 74 I have not decided on the bushings yet.

I used to work part time at O'Reillys. The cheaper brands of ball joints use some kind of plastic bushings inside where Moog uses metal. As for bushings, I opened Moog and Auto Drive(O'Reilly cheap brand) and they both were actually Clevites! Personally I run Moog on the stuff I plan to run hard and the cheaper stuff on all other.

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01 Z28 Daily driver
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Get your quote from Autozone, then go to O's and they will match that price! I did the exact same thing and O's matched the Perfect Circle price with the MOOG parts. I am not sure if they were just being cool, but they did it for me! Something about the lifetime warranty of Perfect Circle and the only lifetime warranty that O's has is MOOG.

Let me know how it works, like I said they did it for me....

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by f-body:
Ok so I went to NAPA HOLY$HIT!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a recap
So Autozone all steering gear and ball joints comes to $291.00

O'Reilley's all MOOG steering gear and Moog ball joints comes to $379.00

But NAPA comes to $584.00 for all steering gear and ball joints.

Guess what its MOOG stuff for my 74 I have not decided on the bushings yet.</font>

Yikes! I would think Global West would be cheaper than NAPA at that price. Sounds like you got quoted list price. If you belong to AAA you get a pretty good discount on their stuff which is what I did. I will admit though I only bought their ball joints. (went with GW on everything else)Oh yeah I bought a new centerlink from NAPA as well and it was $80 compared to $64+ shipping from the mail order houses so I paid a little more for that but not the differences I'm seeing in your post.

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'79 Z28,White w/camel tan interior,Cowl induction hood,T-10 4SPD,350 RamJet (polished),Jet-Hot coated Hooker Headers,Magnaflow dual exhaust,11" Ram clutch,9" 370 Posi,Rock Valley fuel tank,Vette Brakes monoleaf suspension,AGR quick ratio steering,Baer 4 wheel brakes,17X9 Cragars w/275/40X17's F&R