I was involved with a post a month or two about the same problem. There is a way to check the front suspension components by jacking one side of the car up and "yanking" on the jacked wheel. Look for movement in the tie rod ends, pitman and idler arms. Movement= replace.
Most times the culprit will be the idler arm. It's usually the first thing to go. Buy a good Moog or other unit with a lifetime guarantee. After I changed mine, did the bushings and tightened up the top adjustment, the car drives great. No power, so I can FEEL what is going on.
Be sure to check the old (?) rubber bushings on the a-frames. With that mileage, I would think they are whipped. Mine were. For some odd reason, the rear bushings were all new. Don't know why the fronts weren't done.
Ball joints usually don't affect steering, unless they are really worn. Again, that is an easy check for a trusted alignment shop.
The steering boxes aree usually prone to wear, but from what I read in the post previously, you can easily find the problem. I'm going out to the barn after it gets above -6 degrees for a while, and check mine for the shaft movement.
