steering and upgrades

[idriveafordranger94]

Whoops i thought you meant a Dakota with a Magnum V6 in it. sorry

 

[MAKG]

Is there a way to check if the ball joints are worn out?
I know on the shocks for cars it's bounce the car and it's supposed to bounce 1 1/2 times, but not sure on the truck. I imagine the shocks are the stockers and as such are 18 years old. I'll probably upgrade them after my first off-road trek (LOL)

You test for bad balljoints by jacking up a wheel, grabbing it top and bottom, and shaking it vigorously. If it moves, remove the wheel and stick a prybar in the balljoints to see if you can get them to move (loose wheel bearings will do this as well).