Listees:
 
I dropped a front wheel bearing a week or ten days ago & destroyed the
steering knuckle/spindle. No prior warning.  Just went. Bearing welded
to the spindle. Ugh. Quite a long way from home, jackstands, pullers,
ball joint separators etc.
 
Mechanic replaced the 82 spindle/balljoints  with  spindle/ball joints
out of an 86. He used a wheel bearing to suit the 86 assembly. The
interior dimension of this bearing is (apparantly) larger than the 82
bearing, but the exterior dimension is the same, allowing the use of the
existing ( 2yr old) rotor. 
 
Drove fine for the first 500+km, until yesterday. Now I'm getting some
noise, I think from the front end. Not a rumble, but a medium high
whirring/scraping almost like wind noise, that varies with road speed
and not engine speed. Feels like it is front end located.
 
Any collective words of experience on the accuracy of the mechanics
assessment of bearing sizes, settling of bearings, or on wheel bearings
generally....... ? 
 
Bill M
82 GL