the ball joints you cant always feel the movement by grabbing the tire and shaking it cause they are under alot of pressure due to the torsion bar twisting on it. alot of vehicles you have to get in there with a pry bar and then see if it moves.

 

Did you ever resolve this?

 

I did resolve the advice conflict. I found a mechanic with good reviews online. We discussed the ball joint issue and he showed me the same thing I learned here. You can't tell if ball joints are bad unless you take pressure off the torsion bar. I saw the excess movement there. I decided to have him do the work because of the rivets and never having done it before. He put in life-time warranty ball joints, did an alignment, and safety inspection--all for less than $700. Apparently that was a good deal based on estimates I saw here on Blazer Forum.

Unfortunately, it didn't pass inspection because of rusted brake lines. I have to replace them before he will pass on that.

So actually there was no conflict between Forum experts and the first two mechanics who failed my inspection for ball joint and rust issues. Just my disagreement about what is considered safe.