you need to rebuild the front end. ALL of the bushings, tie rods and ball joints are shot.
How do you know? HOW DO YOU KNOW?
Do you have a working crystal ball? Can you see through the internet? Do you have mental telepathy? No way in the world can you KNOW that his ENTIRE front end needs rebuilding. No way, no how. It certainly MIGHT, but to arbitrarily arm chair a GUESS is irresponsible of you and to him.
gdizzle, you need to get the car on jack stands in the front and while looking under it as someone rocks the wheel back and forth from the inside, look for and loose suspension parts. Look at all the joints where the tie rods are connected both inner and outer. Look closely at the idler arm. Grab it and see if there is any vertical movement.
After that, lower the car back down. Jack each side up one at the time with the jack under the lower control arm with the tire about 4" off the ground. Place a long prybar under each tire and pry up hard. Look at the upper and lower ball joints and see if there is any vertical movement in them.
Closely inspect the upper and lower control arm bushings and see if the rubber is distorted. Check to see if there is play in the steering coupler, just in front of the firewall.
Look to see if there is any play in the steering gearbox as someone rocks the wheel back and forth. Look at the pitman arm and make sure it is rocking back and forth the same as the steering shaft. If it is not, the gearbox has wear.
Some of yall love to spend other peoples' money. Not one single damned one of you knows what's wrong with the OP's car, yet you are ready to spout off that everything is toast when you cannot even see it.
He may need everything. But to arbitrarily tell him that, without explaining to him how to inspect it himself and LEARN and FIND OUT on his own is about as stupid as it gets.
