1992 GS, what maintenance should I do while waiting on swap?

[murdamellz]

Hey guys, on my other posts, I'm going through the process of preparing for the upcoming engine swap (between a KLDE with 100,000 miles, or saving for a KLZE from ebay or other source) In the mean time, the only thing I know that it needs for sure is a Right front axle is that the same thing as this CV Joint axle or CV axle I hear talk of? I"ve heard it called a few things, so I'm sorry if I'm asking a dumb question but I just need clearification...Other than that, I really want to get the suspension done and weatherstripping replaced (its mostly dry rotted) while I'm deciding on the engine so with that being said, what are some common things you would get for a 1992 mx3 GS that was sitting for quite a while....with the year of the car being a 92 and the mileage 143,xxx, what are typical items of focus (tie rods, wheel barings, sruts, etc., for example)? I'm only vaguely familiar with wheel bearings, I know it needs one new wheel bearing for sure. I've heard talk of ball joints ( i think) tie rods, etc, and I'm trying to get a general Idea of prices of these items I should replace for our cars, and the items that usually need adressing for sure. Feel free to add any input you like, it is ALWAYS appreciated guys. Keep in mind The car has 143,000 miles. Thanks in advance!!

[wytbishop]

The lengths you go to to recondition the suspension and rolling chassis is really dependant on budget. After 150k miles or so and having sat for a while, it's a safe bet that many of the parts on the rolling chassis are either badly worn or well on their way to needing replacement. Do yourself a favour and determine everything you want/need in the suspension and drivetrain before you start and do it as much as possible, together.

If you're really going for a "like new" rolling chassis, you'd potentially need, wheel bearings, outer tie rod ends, ball joints, struts, bushings and axels (called CV axels or just axels. When you see a reference to the CV joint they're talking about just the articulating joint portion of the axel.) It's pretty easy to assess the condition of most of these parts. The expensive stuff like the axels shouldn't need to be replaced unless they're making clicky noises when you turn. If you inspect the bushings while you're doing other work and they don't look too bad, and you're happy with the ride quality, then you can leave them as well. If the ball joints are tight they may be ok too, but for the cost I think ball joints and outer tie rod ends are a good thing to do to ensure your alignment is as tight as possible.

I recently did alot of this stuff myself. My struts cost me about $550 and I assembled and installed them myself. Ball joints and outer tie rod ends cost about $125 which I also installed myself. Front driver's side wheel bearing was $255 done at the alignment shop and the alignment was $90. I still need to put new axels on. They price out at about $90 each. And I am working out the correct part numbers for poly bushings for the whole car. That'll be in the $600 range. I'll probably do the rest of the wheel bearings at that time as well.

I've spent a little over $1000 on the suspension and rolling chassis, with about $1000 more to come. At that point, I'll have a better than new chassis. Once my engine swap comes around, I'll be upgrading the engine mounts and crossmember bushings as well. My goal is to have a 15 year old car with an effectively new chassis. If you're only interested in making it safe and good condition, you don't need to go as far as I have/will.

I've also spent about $400 on new brake parts with the same goal in mind. Don't neglect your brakes.

[Highbody]

good info... makes me want to freshin my car up a little more