I'm on a tight budget - the car was a desert car so most all rubber suspension parts are dry/cracked. 95,000 miles. It drove decent what few times I took it out before the tear down. I don't want to replace anything needlessly - how do I determine if ball joints and tie rod ends, etc (hard parts) are in good shape ? I know that doesn't save me much, but every little bit helps right now ! Obviously I'm doing UCA/LCA bushings and K frame mounts, etc (rubber parts). Thanks.

Best way I know of is to have someone crank the steering wheel left and right while you watch underneath to see where the slop is.

As stated - look for play in tie rod ends and pitman/idler - ball joints are another story - you may want to change them out for peace 'o mind (?) They aren't that expensive .........

there are enough people upgrading to aftermarket stuff, I bet you could post a wanted ad and new/like new parts cheap

I'd say take it to a shop for an inspection, but if you already tore it down, you're SOL there.

If its apart, it will be difficult to determine the condition of potentially good parts. If you've gto it all apart, you probably should consider replacing all the joints and bushings in it so that it is only done once, even if the cost is a bit higher.

You can get a fairly complete kit from PST with all the bushings, links, and ends for around $250. IIRC, this will not include the inner tie rod ends and an idler arm, but you can add those to the kit for a few dollars more.