On my 88, the lower ball joints were not welded. I was told by someone that some are welded, and some are not. Maybe when pressed in at the factory, depending on how much pressure was required to press them, a decision was made to weld or not. Anyhow, my new Rodney ball joint is pressed in, with a snap ring. It survived the run, and the last trial run before that, so I recon it's OK.