Ford Repair: 1994 Ford Tempo GL, sway bar bushings, control arm bushings

Question
this is an auto transmission car we have been driving sporadically for three years...mostly it sits as we had two other cars.  the odometer shows 63,000 and we have put about 3000 of those miles on it.  when we bought it, it looked like new inside and out, engine compartment etc and we bought it from the orinigal owner.  we are not sure of the maintainnace history.

when driving, even at 25 mph, it just began to make dull popping or crunching sound from the left front wheel.  sounds like we are running over walnuts (but we aren't!).  after turning right it seems to be worse but it does make the sound sporadically while going straight.  it has grown much worse over the last several days.  it now sporadically seems to shift the entire car and inch or so to the left when driving.  this happens, and then it seems to correct/center itself.  it does not make a constant crunching sound like bad wheel bearings sometimes do and does not get worse when tuning right....altho it seems to get worse after turning right.  it also, sporadically, seems to get a left front wheel shimmey at 10-15 mph. i jacked it up and tried to wiggle the left front wheel but found no play in it.  i looked at the sway bar bushings at the hub assembly, steering rack end, lower strut mounts, control arm bushings etc and could not see anything that was worn or loose.  tried to wiggle/move everything and nothing moved.  the cv boots are not torn.

obviously not a good situation and the car is certainly not driveable.  do you think it is a wheel bearing?  from what i can see from the engine compartment, it does not look like the top strut mount is shifting/loose.  when i bounce up and down on the left front fender the car will bounce back once and partially again but then stops.

thanks for your help.  i have changed wheel bearings on other cars (Austin Healeys, MGBs) but not on a drive axle wheel so maybe this is something i can do myself?

Answer
is sounds like the bearing or more than likely the axle assembly-make a sharp turn in a parking lot or cul-de-sac if you get a rapid popping/clicking noise it is probably an axle-they are not hard to change if axle is not siezed in hub-pull wheel/caliper/outer tie rod end at spindle/lower ball joint and axle nut-pull spindle outward and see if axle breaks loose if not lube and tap with plastic or brass hammer-you may have to take prybar or big screwdriver to pop it out of transaxle-you will loose some fluid-when installing new axle make sure it locks in or it can pop out while you are driving and quit pulling.
good luck