Ball joints/tie rods??

[Bigsrturbo]

Well as a few of u know I have a 90 NA with 178k miles...I've been going over the car this week ( I have it up on jack stands with wheels off inspecting everything) trying to get it ready for the BMW school I plan on going to this weekend ...well both my upper ball joints and outer tie rod boots are torn...would u guys go to the school like that or just skip it and try to get my car ready for the race on the 25th and 26th of this month??? I really wanted to go to the school and get some pointers but I called vatozone and it's going to be around 300 bucks to replace all the ball joints and inner and outer tie rods and since i just ordered my hard dog I'm strapped...crap

[OZMDD]

First, go to rockauto.com and get those parts MUCH cheaper.
Second, torn balljoint boots won't cause you to fail tech if the suspension - particularly the wheel bearings - is solid. Grab the tire and shake the hell out of it (you're a big guy); if it doesn't have any noticeable play or obvious "clunking" you are probably fine for autox school.

Check that all your wheel studs are good, all your lug nuts are torqued, tires are good and have decent tread remaining and no cords showing. Battery needs to be secure, not just held-down. Etc. Autox school is probably a great place to get your car evaluated some of the miata experts.

[Bigsrturbo]

Awesome thanks ozmdd!! All my wheel bearings seem solid and I'll check the batt when I get home..

[SirHustlerEsq]

I bought replacement boots from Finishline Performance on the cheap and packed them with AMSoil grease.

[Bigsrturbo]

Nice!!! Thanks I'll try that....no one here has ever had a balljoint break? That kinda what I was worried about when the autox beating starts...

[SirHustlerEsq]

The most common failure is an inner tie rod, and I recommend only getting those from the dealer because Chinese inner tie rods have a spotted history and steering components are a life-changing part. In general failures are low. I am a serious whore to AMSoil Race Grease because it has the best knock-out characteristics and does so well in bearings. Keeping it clean is #1 and I doubt the grease makes much of a difference in the life.

[Bigsrturbo]

Thanks for that info!!!! I'll try amsoil too!!