Where do you dudes order parts from?

I need to do a Tbelt, CAS Oring, and probably some other crapola.

 

For online, there's nowhere else to go for OEM than here: http://www.finishlineperformance.com/miata/index.html

It's a dealership, and it's all OEM Mazda original unless otherwise stated... but at half the price.

 

usually rockauto.com BUT
I recently bought an entire engine gasket package on eBay for $40. It's all chinese, but all looked and fit like OE. For reference an OE rear main was $20 - the package included everything - including head gasket and valve seals!

 

I either go to finishline or make buddies with the local dealership and eventually they give discounts to nice guys. But in my case, Finishline IS the local dealership.

 

only being a few blocks from me is nice

 

Take it from a guy who had to do his TB/WP job three times. Go with OEM parts. www.finishlineperformance.com has good prices as well as www.trussvillemazda.com or www.mazdastuff.com. All three have good prices and sometimes one place is cheaper than another for a particular part.

 

If you do any type of organized racing, you can register with MazdaMotorsports Development and get OEM parts at a good discount. I haven't gone to a dealer in years!. www.mazdamotorsports.com

 

When I went there to register, they required that I give them my SS# to sign up. What company requires your SS# to order car parts? Crazy!

Finishline is awesome. In fact, I made an order a few weeks ago. Apparently, they had one of the parts backordered. They shipped what they had the day I placed my order, and overnighted the remaining part the next day so I got all my parts the same day. That's good business.

 

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...n&key=MIAD1036
$90 for a tbelt, valve cover, and some seals? WTF?

At trussville, the Tbelt alone is $45?! Same for Mazdastuff.com

What gives, are the belts made from unobtanium or what? That's just insane.

 

While I agree that a reinforced rubber belt for almost $50 is pricey, the OEM one lasted in my car for over 100K+ and the only reason I changed it was not because it broke, but because I didn't want to end up stranded somewhere on a back road when it did finally decide to break. The extra cost is worth the fit, peace of mind, and no hassle. FWIW, there have been a few stories of people who were sold non-OEM belts that were the wrong length. YMMV.

 

kevlar reinforced?

 

As an example, members of MazdaMotorsports would pay $67.65 for the same set of items. And there is no worrying about who makes it...Mazda does! I will never, ever again use a non-OEM timing belt. They just aren't the same, IMHO.

 

Nope, just the standard Mazda item that will last 60,000 to 100,000 miles.

 

The reason they do this is because they offer contingency awards to racers and you have to be a racer to sign up. If you win more than $600 in contengency they have to file a 1099 on you and you will have to report it as income on your taxes. Thus the need for the SSN.

I order all my parts through them. I even had to get a hub and caliper bracket overnighted while a nationals this year after having a hub break and they made sure it happened. Sometimes aftermarket stuff is a little cheaper, but you cannot buy OEM stuff anywhere else as cheap as the racer discount they offer. Heck, even the dealerships pay more than MM members do.

 

I saw an OE orginal tbelt at 70k that was missing ribs, cracked and IMO about to fall apart. I had an OE Mazda oil pump bad out of the box. I think the sage advice is to check all parts the best you can before installing them.

 

So you gonna buy and hook a brotha up? Competition is still a couple years away, at least, if I actually go that far at all.

 

I picked up Tbelt kit on ebay once for $50 shipped. Included crank and cam seals, high quality Contitech belt, and the idler and tensioner. I will try and find the seller.

 

Without seals
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1990-...spagenameZWDVW

 

Thanks for the linkage.

Any sense in replacing the idler and tensioner on a 77Kmile engine?

 

I would absolutely replace them. Maybe do a water pump as well. Also I have seen the tstat housing leak at the block. Replace that oring as well.