which direction to take?

I'm not sure I completely agree, but he has a very valid point. If you're paying someone else labor then he's totally right. If you can change the bushings and ball joints yourself then replacing the UCA's and stuff is still gonna be more. But, there are significant advantages to replacing all the stuff with more modern parts compared to just replacing the bushings. And at this point all that suspension has been around for a long time, so replacing it isn't a terrible idea. And while the use of the car is a consideration, even a weekend cruiser will benefit from replacing all of that stuff.

For $2k you can do all of it pretty easily if the goal is just a decent handling street car. From your other thread I recall you were already looking at adding the 1.03" PST torsion bars.

I know what I would do, but before I post a list for you, do you have the 5x4" bolt pattern or 5x4.5"? Because that will make a difference in what you need.