Take your floor or bottle jack and place it under the lower control arm as near the ball joint you can. What you want is for it to be loaded, or the weight of the vehicle on that joint. Raise it just enough to get the tire off the ground about 1.5 to 2 inches. Then grab a prybar or long heavy screwdriver and slip it under the tire to pry up on the tire. Look for movement in the upper & lower ball joints as well as the upper and lower control arm bushings. You shouldn't need your spring compressor untill you determine they are bad.

Nash, loose ball joints may allow vibrations and the like, but I feel they would be really bad if they are to that point. You may hear a knock or a thunk when going over bumps, especially if you've got the wheels turned tight in either direction.
Odd tire wear patterns may also be an indication as the alignment would not be stable due to excessive play.