joining the front end rebuild train
 

Does anyone use moog ball joints from rockauto? I am a little skeptical about the $24 moogs when they are 80 to 100$ elsewhere.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...ll+joint,10070

the K5320's

I buy a lot from Rockauto - NEVER had a problem from them or their parts.
They buy by the train/ship loads and keep their mark up low - you get quality parts at a price you can afford.
And from your other post I really have hard time with your friend ended up with counter fit parts from them - IMO he's mistaken or feeding you a long line of BS

I've never had an issue with RockAuto and have ordered a number of parts from them. I've also heard that with the rare problem that slips through their customer service is really good.

Sounds like I am just going to use rock auto for those amazing prices then!

My next worry is which parts are actually different for a ZR2 model. I have confirmed that I have a 1998 ZR2 blazer but am having a hard time finding much information aside from 3 people saying 3 different things..
so far I know the body/frame, tie rods, cv axles, and wheels.bearings are different.

Should I just assume I need the offset tie rods because my vehicle is a ZR2?
Is one tie rod on each side straight and the other offset, or are they both offset?

and then are there any other parts in the front suspension/steering that is different fromt he base (non-ZR2) models?

I contacted the local dealer's parts guy/mechanic and he seemed to know nothing about any ZR2 models but gave part numbers
outer tie rod: 12471300
inner tie rod: 12471301 (he said might look offset)

He said he could read nothing off of the vin and showed no other tie rod options.

Any more input would be much appreciated!

Try contacting Rockauto customer service and quiz them about if there is any difference

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that the tie-rods and wheel bearings are the same on ZR2 and non-ZR2 trucks. As far as the steering is concerned it's the center link and the CV axle that are longer on the ZR2 to accommodate the different frame and wider stance. I can confirm that one for sure, and I'm 99% sure that the tie-rods and wheel bearings are interchangeable from 1998-2005.