Hey all,
Need advice from the collective (this is long, just a warning). Car in question is a stock 86 Laser XT.
My situation is that I currently have 4 bald tires, and a car needing an alignment. I have brand new Koni/Eibach's installed. I have 4 brand new tires mounted on separate wheels , ready to go, but don't want them to wear pre-maturely. The reason I haven't gotten an alignment is because I want to upgrade the crappy 86 K frame/arms to the later years, and only want to pay for the alignment once. Here's my problem:
On one hand (we'll call it Option A), I have a k-frame from the 91 up cast design. It's already cleaned, re-painted, brand new A-arm bushings and brand new sway bar bushings, brand new balljoints, new steering rack, and new tie-rods. But, I don't have the 91-up knuckles. As it's been known, this causes the front wheels to "push forward", thus, cause rubbing.
On the other hand (Option B), I have an 89 k-frame from a Shelby Daytona, with everything -- knuckles, larger brakes, sway bar, etc. Yes, I realize the knuckles are not needed but they were part of the package. Problem is, I have to clean all the crap off, re-paint it, then get the old factory bushings out, put new bushings in, new sway bar bushings, etc., etc.
My questions about Option A (91-up K frame) are as follows:
1.) Can I simply swap in the 91-up knuckles and assume that this will keep the wheels in the stock location (i.e., avoid the rubbing problem)?
2.) This has been sitting outside, on a project car, for the last 6 years. The bushings were MOOG brand (the blue ones). Does anyone think sitting outside with the weight of the car on everything, has made these "less desirable" in terms of performance?
3.) The steering rack -- this too has been sitting outside on the project car, for the last 6 years. The lines were never installed (no fluid). Any chance those seals are shot from sitting? It had a lifetime guarantee but Autozone is now showing that they no longer carry it....
Or, should I just go with Option B -- the 89 K-Frame setup, and redo everything (clean, paint, bushings, etc.) from scratch.
What would you do in my situation to spend the least amount of money and get the best results? (Yes I realize Poly Bushings is a better choice for the 91-up option, but I ain't swapping the bushings out since they are brand new).