What else could you replace when changing ball joints since it's apart?
 

So I get a poping (not much of a metal on metal clunk) noise coming from front driver's side when running over bumps after I installed 3.5" RE lift kit when going straight or turning. Even road bumps will make it pop at 40+ MPH. I do not know how old parts are in there since I only owned this 94 Jeep w/ 262k miles for over a year.
I think it might be ball joints. What else can I replace while I am there? These parts seem cheap and I rather swap few things in one shot while it is apart.

check your front swaybar bushings at the unibody

could do whatever else needs replaced, u joints, hubs, tie rod ends, upgrade axle shafts...

Axle U-joints, Hubs if over 150K

depends where you draw the line. Once you've got it tore down that far, the inner axle seals are just a carrier-pull away. Once the carrier is out, toss a lock-rite in :D.
Disconnect the control arms, replace upper control arm bushings in the axle. Thats a lot easier with the front axle removed. Bad control arm bushings could be the source of your clunk, check the rest of them too. Make sure the track bar bracket is good and tight, check the TB bushings.

Figure out what making the noise first, just throwing parts at it gets costly

if it's not broke, don't fix it.

maybe do your axle shaft u-joints. they're cheap and easy to replace and if they're not worn out now, they probably will be as soon as you put everything back together.

also maybe hubs, if there's any play in them. these tend to get pricey unless you go with the cheapest of the cheap. but you do get what you pay for.

i'd leave everything else alone. you can do those at any other time without removing your axle shafts.

obviously, you can also do the inner axle seals IF they were leaking previous to removing them. otherwise, just leave em.

I replaced universal joints and an axle shaft because it broke when trying to use hydraulic press to push the U-joint out. Turns out it's better and easier to cut them with a torch and then they come out real easy when you do it one corner by one corner at the time. Also 91 Cherokee at junkyard was easier to disassemble to get its shaft from than my 94, same mileage :glare: but it seemed like someone used anti seize on its bolts. My shafts were dry so the seals should be ok and I didn't change them.
Upper and lower ball joints were good. The wheels do not have any up/down play.
The track bar and other steering bars have some play in them. The bar that stabilizer shock mounts to has the most amount of play and when moving, rotating it by hand sounds like the noise I still have after replacing U-joints. Do I need just the tie rod ends with ball joints to fix that or is there a better way? (I am not trying to upgrade everything but just fix what's broken)
I also suspect upper control arm bushings, as when I go real slow and brake it seems like front axle stops and then Jeep keeps going a little bit farther.
This popping/banging (not metal on metal kind of bang) noise from the front started after the lift.
But I think I can get alignment done now and address this later. Every time I try doing something to my Jeep it ends up with cutting/drilling bolts and nuts out or trips to junkyard to get a part that broke during dis-assembly.
I gotta play with upper control arms bushings and sway bar bushings to see how are they but I am not looking forward to getting these bolts out. Well, I do, but I am pretty sure they will break or get stuck in the bushing sleeve (all other ones did and needed to be cut).
Any more suggestions are welcome.

Inspect where the brake caliper mounts as they age the caliper mount wears causing a clank or rattle when brakes are applied or released.
Ron

Screw it may as well do WJ knuckles... Lol

Caliper or bracket that caliper is mounted to?
Both of those brackets don't have any play and they would not budge when we got the 3 12 point bolts out and hit it with BFH to get them to come off to get the shafts out. Gear puller got them off.

Brakes. hub. Shocks?

Some more details. This popping/klunking/banging noise started after RE 3.5" lift was installed (it was closer to 5" really) which included new control arms, shocks, springs, and sway bar links.
Also the steering bars and track bar in my buddies 95 XJ has way more play than mine and it is quiet. His has a 2" lift.
I had my wife turn the steering wheel lock to lock, back and forth, with wheels on the ground and everything moves smoothly. I didn't see stuff skip, jump or pop.

did you check the swaybar bushings at the unibody, thats what my pops were after my lift

I am gonna replace sway bar bushings next. It is the easiest and cheapest. Just gotta find new bushings. I am not getting poly bushings.