Hi mate,
I got my bearings from an eBay member called " rcbearings " for a tenner.
Metal sealed bearings are fine for inside the transmission, but be sure to get rubber sealed bearings for the wheels if you drive in dirty locations. Rcbearings supply either.
Re the shocks, I can't help, as mine are still fine. I'm sure somebody will be along to help soon though.
Again, i've not broken any parts on mine yet, but i'd recommend an Rpm b4 wide bumper as it's saved me in some minor crashes.
For hop-ups use
http://www.tcmodels.net
They are a brilliant source of aluminium and carbon fibre parts and charge less than 1/2 price of what UK retailers sell them for.
I've attached an image of the said bumper that's proved invaluable.
Btw- you might find that the 5.5t is too much for the car. I use a 10.5t and have geared my car for approx 35-40mph which has proved to be just on the verge of being an handful. I'm a newbie though, so i'm not too clued up as to whether a 5.5t setup will be too much. I've just read this on other forums.
Have fun.