front end

When I unbolted the front sheet metal I noticed that there was no sealant at all between the: fender - lower fender extension fender - top header panel fender - valance panel I found a lot of rust on the mating surfaces. I guess there should be some kind of sealant? But if so, should the...

Ball joints, bushings, tie rod ends. Pitman arm, idler arm and the like. I've got a shop bid of around 1270 and the parts price is around $470 for standard part replacement. (The rest is labor and sales tax) I'm looking for recommendations and experiences. I'm not a total neophyte (I've...