We had the 87 inspected by a certified mechanic and were told we needed to replace the idler arm and center link and we did. Then we took it to get an alignment and were told it could not be done because the ball joints needed replacing. We could only find oversized ball joints locally that were too large to fit and had them turned down at the machine shop. When the front end was being alligned the mechanic was having problems with the steering binding on the left side when the car was lowered on the rack swivel plate and suggested the ball joint was the problem since that was the last thing we changed. They wanted to replace the ball joints. We think the camber plate bearing could be binding. This seems to be a we really don't know until we replace it deal.

The mechanic told us the caster was out of spec and it would not effect the steering, which I don't agree with at all. The camber plate on the chassis left is moved all the way to one side while the opposite plate is centered. Will worn a-arm bushing prevent proper caster alignment?

 

It's more likely the binding is caused by the ball joint. Just cause they're brand new doesn't mean they're not crap. Been there.

The strut rod (in the strut) should spin even if the strut mount is tight, although some struts will be easier to spin than others. This will keep most of the binding in the strut mount from being transmitted into steering effort.

You should be able to reach under the fender and spin the strut rod by hand, maybe compare it to the known good side. You won't be able to do this with the suspension completely unloaded though.

Another test is to jack it up (jack under a-arm), unload it, drop the tie rod and compare steering effort before and after you remove the strut mount bolt. The strut rod won't spin easily with the suspension unloaded (strut rod fully extended) and you'll be comparing turning effort between the ball joint and strut mount bearing.

 

Was just going to type the same. Yes, pull the tierods and swivel each side indpendantly- then also check the steering box.

Worn a-arm bushings will cause you to loose alot of camber, but can also if independantly worn can cause caster gain/ or loss depending of which one fails independantly. Its generally the rear movement that fails under braking and the result is a caster loss by both bushings.