Bad news from the mechanic - any insight greatly appreciated!

[Anker]

I would say start with tie rods and trailing arms. The shimmy and the rattles from the trailing arms are really bothersome and ruin the pleasure of driving.

[The Radium King]

Originally Posted by Anker

I would say start with tie rods and trailing arms. The shimmy and the rattles from the trailing arms are really bothersome and ruin the pleasure of driving.

+1. get it running. enjoy it. work away at it when you have the free time. no dealbreakers in your list, just deferred maintenance items. watch the forums for used parts (ie, suspension take-offs from guys upgrading); get advice online. this forum is truly excellent for both advice and used parts.

more specifically, heavy clutch might also be a broken helper spring; a pita to change, but a $5 part. don't worry about the rms; mine has been weeping since i got the car - a known issue that doesn't affect driveability and won't kill the car - occasional drop of oil on the garage floor - put the upgraded part in when you do the clutch, which could be 20k miles from now. and yeah, get your front wheels on a balance machine before you start pulling your suspension apart.