I was able to swap out my right front vertical link/hub this weekend. Ever since I bought the car a few months back, the right front bearing made a grinding noise that progressively got worse, to the point that it sounded like I was dragging a metal piece wherever I went (noise was worse when cold).

So, I managed to find a great deal from a 707 auto parts, who were conveniently parting out an XK8 and they shipped out a vertical link with installed hub and abs ring. I separated the ball joints, steering link, and removed the brake hardware, installed everything back together and went on down the road.

The car is very quiet now, much quieter than before, other than the squeaks and groans of 155k miles of driving enjoyment have brought about. The XK8 has now become my daily driver as I recently sold my Hummer H2, so with the money I save on gas, I should be able to keep the XK8 running for a long time.
The removal and install was not as hard as I thought.

 

hey, a new hub and some other 'spare' parts, can't beat that deal! Good job on the DIY project, Mr. CJ!