Next we wanted to replace the front suspension bushings, a very typical failure on these cars that causes the wheels to be "bowlegged". When we took it apart though we found we needed more than bushings. The lower trunnions on both sides are supposed to have a bolt connecting them to the front and rear A arms which rotates within the bottom of the kingpin. These bolts had seized in place, which meant the rotation now occurred between the bolt and the A arm. The likely reason they seized is lack of grease. And the effect is "wallering out" of the holes in the A arms:
In addition, on one side this high pressure on a small area of the bolt had caused the A arm to cut half way through the bolt, clearly a possible safety issue.
So the lesson here is - grease your front suspension components! Not a real expensive fix, but it is time consuming, including waiting on parts to arrive.
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