I recently did the shocks, springs, and ball joints about 1,000 miles ago. Had it aligned and balanced when I put new tires on it last week. The car always had a shimmy like unbalanced tires around 65/70. But after the tires it still persisted. Jacked it up and when I move the tire at 12 and 6 I get a good amount of play. Had a buddy get underneath and no ball joint movement, or any other parts for that matter. He thinks it’s hub bearings. I have no growling when driving.Would that cause play in the wheel? And is it easy to change these? Thanks in advance!

 

Fronts are easier to change than the rears, but you don't say which you have under suspicion. In general, significant play when you have weight off of wheels in the 12/6 direction is indicative of worn wheel bearings.
From my perspective, the dividing line between "easy to change" and "not really easy to change" resides between the front and rear wheel bearings.

 

I did my drivers side wheel bearings recently and it was not too difficult. The inside bearing was the worst, I don't think it had been greased in years.The inside seal was a little tricky but I did manage to press it onto the hub using a lot of grease on it and either using a big socket or piece of pipe. The adjustment of the play can be a little tricky on these bearings. I bought the complete bearing kit with seal from Terry's Jaguar.

Another reason for greasing or replacing these bearings is that if let go for an extended time you could have excessive wear on the spindle where the inside bearing rides which would give play that could not be adjusted out.

I plan to do the passenger side sometime soon when I do the brakes on that side.

 

Thanks for the help! It’s the front bearings and do I need any special tools to tackle this job? Might do the rears as well since it’s going to need brakes soon.

 

There are no special tools required to change the fronts, but before changing them in an attempt to fix your shimmy, it might be worth checking that the existing bearings are tight enough. The front bearings on these cars need tightened from time to time, and it is straightforward to do. Tighten the centre nut while turning the wheel until all play is removed, then loosen it “a tad”.
I realise a tad isn’t very scientific, but it is how it was described to me. I suspect I err on the too tight side, which can lead to premature bearing wear, but it hasn’t yet, and the bearings are relatively cheap and easy to replace.

 

Ps the rears are best left alone unless they are howling. Not cheap and not easy. The rear brake discs are easily removed without disturbing the bearings.