Hi all. I am currently trying to build a weekend warrior/fun car to use for street and auto-x. I would like to get rid of my ebay sleeves and stock shocks for a decent suspension set-up but it looks like i am on a budget of about 500. This does not leave me much other than illuminas/GCs, and even that maxes out my budget. Obviously a good way to cut costs is buying used parts. My question is, how often do people beat shocks till they leak? Are almost all leaks noticeable? Are there certain signs of serious wear(like scratches on the shaft) that i should be looking for? I figured i could save myself a little by buying the springs/sleeves used and buying new shocks. Aside from cracking, is it typical for GCs to flaw? I appolagize for all the questions, im just a college kid trying to make weekends less mind-numbing.

 

Totally forgot to tell you guys the crucial facts. The car is a 92dx with a b16a and currently no other suspension mods. I understand that tie bars do nothing if they are the pivoting kind. Are the ebay ones any less effective other than that they pivot(can tig weld)?