I've never replaced any suspension bushings in any car, even my '73 Impala. It's a nice project and will definitely change the ride feel and tracking of the car. I couldn't tell what material the bushings were made of. The harder the bushing, the more road you will feel. I know it's a big effort to replace them all yourself. My personal feeling is, unless you have a problem with the original units (noise, squeaks, movement in the suspension, etc) I wouldn't replace them.

If you are thinking about dressing up the suspension components with new paint, etc. to get a good restoration look, that's when I would replace the bushings only because the suspension will be disassembled and the old bushings might as well go.

Hopefully, someone who has made this replacement will provide their experience.

 

Just bring it to a shop to get the steering parts checked. If the bushings or anything else is bad they'll be able to tell.

 

Juice:

I was looking for some chip and scratch fixing tips and came across this article on bushing replacement at Mother's Polish website.

I didn't read through it all, so I don't know if it completely appies to your question, but thought you might gain some insight on the bushing replacement project.

Web site is http://www.mothers.com/auto_essentials/
A number of small articles are listed.