A "major" front end rebuild kit costs about $100 from TRF. This doesn't
include ball joints or tie rod ends. Figure a long weekend or two to do
the rebuild the first time, because you'll probably have a hard time
getting some things apart, and want to clean and paint various parts.
There's nothing particularly difficult about the work, with the
exception of getting the tapered joints (ball joint, outer tie rod)
apart; for those you just need the proper tool. It'll take longer if
you have bent or broken parts that you need to find replacements for.
Before you get into it, though, take a look and see what's wrong. Are
the rubber bushings intact or cracked? If you yank on the wheel, can
you make the bushings move from side to side? Is there play at the
brass trunnion or the ball joint (put the car up on jack stands and
then place a bottle jack under the vertical link; as you jack, does the
whole assembly compress somewhere before the arms start to move?) That
will give you a better idea of what needs to be done, unless you just
decide you want to take it all apart so you *know* what shape everything is in.
Moss sells the "proper" silver wheel paint in spray cans; TRF might, too.
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