Front stearing and suspension 911

[Peregrine]

Ok, this is slighty long and you may get confused because I'm not that good at explaining these things. I got my ECE spindles and springs on Tuesday and me and my dad got under the truck today to find out what components need to be replaced (bushings, ball joints, etc) Turns out it's a lot. But we're really confused on this one thing. My dad has an 82 so we jsut assumed the A-arms had bushing to connect to the frame. Well, found out they have that crazy little hex nut with the grease fitting. Anywho, the drivers side is completly shot, and the front hex bolt is riding on the flange, unlike the passenger side. What is the story on this? Should it be on the flange? Has it seized and started eating the nut away? Does the nut have a bushing in it at all or is it just grease in there? Any and all information on how the A-arms mount is wanted/needed and appreciated. I wiah I had pictures but I don't have a digital camera.