Subscribed. I need to do a lot of the same stuff.

Lemforder for ball joints and tie rods. Elephant Racing for everything else :).

true

+1

I've also procrastinated a front suspension refresh.

Are these the 5 common things to replace for a front refresh?

1) Ball joints
If wheel doesn't have play when jacked, are ball joints ok?

2) Shocks
If shocks aren't leaking, are they ok?

3) A-arm bushings.
How do you know they are bad?

4) Sway Bar Bushings
If you get no clunking over bumps, are swap bar bushings fine?

5) Upper Shock mount bushing.
If you get no clunking over bumps, are strut bushings fine?

I prefer not to replace parts that are fine.
I am thinking for the front, I might only replace the A-Arm bushing.
Sort of annoying not to have an actual symptom, however.
I mean, what exactly is the point of a bushing in the first place?
To make sure a bar doesn't rattle around, but having a slight give/flex, right?
What if there is no rattling around?

1. Ball joints loosen slightly over time from wear altho they do last a long time. You won't feel it by hand but they can contribute to vibration in the steering if worn.
2. Test your shocks on rebound...hard to tell their age when in the strut.
3. The A arm bushings carry the A arms at both attaching points. You have three points of contact, the two on the torsion bar side and the ball joint...kind of a waste not to do all three and be done for another 20 years.
The fwd bushing that you can see always looks good as it doesn't get the stress weight of the rear bushing that will be ovaled/worn out if original. The rubber is old/and has lost its resiliency if old.
4. Sway bar bushings...change them, they can even look 'tight' and not be...you'll note the difference when you try and re mount your bar.

If the rubber is 20/30 years old...as was mine it will be way past its wear out date.
Does it still drive well...yes...but it is not how it was meant to work and when finished it will be better in incremental ways...flatter cornering, tighter hold of adjustment etc. If you want the most our of your steering then do it.
The handling is what a P is about. It's not that expensive just labor intensive...I just rebuilt mine and enjoyed the process/set up.

So, if you're not feeling any vibrations in the steering wheel, your ball joints are probably fine?

I'm still unclear on what driving characteristics you will notice if your A-arm bushings are bad.

Not necessarily...my ball joints were worn. I could move the ball joint easily in it's base...not sloppy but loose. Would it make a big dif. doubt it.

Your A arm bushings hold your A arm in a fixed horizontal plane, when they wear out that plane changes and camber/castor with it....you can set the castor/camber for the wear out but that does not allow for the movement in the A arm under force (driving)...in extreme wear out the torsion bar can rub on the alloy cross bar suspension piece and eventually break (the T bar).
Some T bar makers will not warrantee their T Bars unless the A arm bushings are new.

When you have multiple issues they add up to less than optimal handling....otoh, do what you like as you sound like you want to be talked out of the job...if it is good enough for ya then ......

It's not hyperbole when others have said "it drives like a new car" after a suspension refresh. The biggest difference I found is that I didn't realize how crappy and worn my suspension was until I drove a car with fresh ER rubber bushings. I test drove a 911SC with 250K miles that had a recent ER bushing refresh and it felt like a modern car compared to my low mile - 60K garage queen 911SC. Do it right and replace all of the old rubber. The car won't just handle better, but it'll feel more solid and planted during everyday driving.

that is sooo true. Miles do not mean much after certain age. Heat/cold takes a toll on the rubber.