Front struts, rear shocks, front wheel bearing, and others
 

Alright, so the rear shocks are toast, and I've pretty much settled my mind on going with the Monroe MA822, for $62 for the pair from Rock Auto.

For the fronts, I'm pretty much leaning towards the Monroe Sens-A-Trac #71685, for $67/each from Rock Auto. Now, when I do the struts, do I need to replaces the mounts and bearings? I know with other cars I've had, I had to replace these. If so, any recommendations?

For the front wheel bearing, Rock Auto lists TImken, BCA/National, and AC Delco. I've heard horrible things about BCA/National, I've heard great things about TImken, and AC Delco is just pricey haha. Just happens that Rock Auto has the TImken's for the cheapest as well, at $98/each. Any thoughts or inputs on this?

The ball joint directly underneath the failing wheel bearing, I know for a fact is bad (boot is torn). I've heard mixed feelings on the Moog's, but I've used them in the past with no real problems. Obviously, the AC Delco's are good, as they take a long time to fail. But, what about the Spicer brand, I've never heard of them? I definately won't buy the cheap one here (in fact, if you guys recommend better parts than what I have listed above, I'll spend the extra money for them). The Moog's are $50, the AC Delco is $58. IMO, it's almost worth the extra $8 to get the AC Delco and never worry about it again.

Now the big question. I have a buddy that will be helping me out with installation, no big deal. But, he wants to know how long each one is quoted through the GM Repair manual (For example, the rear shocks are supposed to take 1 hour each, this is just a guess). Basically, if I were to go to a shop and have this all done, how many hours of labor would I expect to pay for? Obviously I'm not doing it at a shop, but when him and I work together, we like to know about how much time in labor we owe each other. Kinda dumb, but whatever.

Thanks.

On my ’00, the rubber in the mount was starting to crack on the bottom and the bearings looked rusty.
I would buy the parts to have on hand and then return them if your existing parts look good.

I bought a Delco strut mount & bearing for my ’93 and it was made in Taiwan.
I bought the NAPA brand for my ’00 and it was oriental too. In both cases I paid more $ with hope of better quality - but I didn’t get it. :(

Timken bearings FTW! :twisted:
I prefer Moog over Delco.

A tire store once quoted me 4 hours for both front struts & mounts on the '93 IIRC.
There was no difference in the amount of work for me between the '93 and '00.

Both struts - 2.4 hrs; Rear shocks - 1.5 hrs; Ball joint 0.9 hrs; Wheel hub - 1.3 hrs.

Timken makes good bearings, and I've generally had good luck with Moog parts. I'd plan on replacing the strut bearings, and the rubber spring seats. I'd say to inspect the mount before replacing it.

I have always had good luck with Moog suspension components, they are my go to for aftermarket.
You'll be happy with the Timkens, this last set is going on 3 years on my car.
With all the time and effort it takes to remove the struts why not replace the bearings and mounts, good insurance there?

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and do the bearings and mounts.