If you pull it apart you can look at the bottom race. I’ve had them be pitted before. That and the lower bearing rusty due to water settling down there.
The pivots have busted welds commonly.
on the welds. The pitting / bearing condition depends on a lot of variables. If your this far into it, take it the rest of the way apart and inspect them and the sector bushing.
Referring to your earlier post
How much play is expected with the mounting pivot on the lower control arms? My pivots had a fair amount; the bushings have now been replaced but there is still some definite play. Does the strut rod locate the LCA well enough that the pivot does not need to be tight? Obviously it needs to be able to freely rotate.
You may have missed my response:
And no, the LCA pivots should not be moving side to side as you turn the wheels. There was a post on that recently and the repair method generally used. Maybe someone will point you to it
The Shafts are tapered and should "lock" into the K frame. It is the bushing that is supposed to twist as the suspension moves. The tightening of the shafts should not be done until the front suspension is fully loaded. Doing so before will induce rotational stress on the rubber bushing and lead to premature failure.
I'm suspecting your issue may be with the the shafts not locking in and inducing the play.
