Had the vette spring serviced yesterday. A few things my mechanic found. Said I need, LF outer tie rod, all ball joints, all u joints. Oh, and a broken apart cat converter. 87 coupe. 93,000 miles My question is what is the most pressing issues to be addressed first and what should I expect to pay for any of this? Now, I have used him for many years and trust him. I haven't had a chance to talk to him about how bad any of these problems or gotten a quote yet. Any help would be appreciated.

 

only one mans opin. but susp. stuff first tie rods and ball joints first/ If thay break at speed very bad!

 

You need to find out what is worse and how bad. The cat can wait unless it is plugging the exhaust. If the tie rod end is bad replace first. You can't have the front end aligned until all parts are in spec. The issue is tire wear, not safety unless it is REALLY bad. Look at your front tires for uneven wear.

 

as otherwise it might eat up those expensive tires.

Then the u-joints -- be sure to match-mark the parts before taking them apart so they go back correctly and retain their 'balance'.

Then balance the tires and get a good 4-wheel alignment.

Also, might ask your mechanic to clarify which u-joints and to show you (if you grasp the shafts and twist opposite, should NOT feel any movement) -- as there are ones for the drive shaft and also for each rear wheel. The rear wheel ones will be much more expensive to replace and should be done by someone who has worked on Vettes.

Lastly the converter, so you can get through inspection -- but price shop -- sometimes a complete system might be cheaper -- and don't forget about all the forum supporting vendors -- prices ARE good.

 

check your tires.
If they aren't worn funny, I would suspect the diagnosis. Corvette stuff is known to be overengineered because those guys knew these cars would be raced.
I replaced the tie rods when I replaced the rack, but I didn't need to. The ball joints have an indicator on the bottom ones, and you can check them yourself.
See the 101 projects for your corvette book, and Haynes manuals for the ball joint wear indicators.
If the cat is coming apart, get it replaced with a "direct replacement" unit. Do not use a universal type from just any muffler shop. They are about $100 from Summit racing, and they bolt on.
I got tie rods from a wrecking yard off of a 96 that had 12,000 miles on it. I paid $12 each, and after 140,000 miles, my ball joints are originals. Just keep those babies greased. Grease them every 6 months, regardless of mileage. wipe off the excess. The 6 month interval will allow you to remove the wheels and inspect the brakes at the same time.
These cars will last a long time, but they are built to take apart and reassemble easily, but each process is time consuming.