Hi folks,

I'm in the process of a complete front suspension and steering rebuild--the full monty: New upper and lower control arms, tie rod ends, rebuilt power steering valve, new power cylinder and new strut rod bushings. The one part I'm concerned about is the steering box... I really hate sloppy steering but I can't afford a rack and pinion or a new Flaming River box. I see there are rebuild kits for the stock box available. My questions are these:
1. Is there a way to check whether the original box (164,000 miles on it) needs to be rebuilt?
2. Is rebuilding worth doing?
3. If so, is it a do-able job or a nightmare? (I'm not a super experienced mechanic, but pretty good at figuring stuff out).

Thanks for any help.

 

Hate to say this, but even a brand new one will have some slop. One with 164k is certain to need a rebuild so there is one answer.
As for the rest of the system, there is all plenty of opportunity for even more slop with brand new components. The PS actually depends on it to work and know which side to apply the pressure.
Good luck on your project, my recommendation would be to buy a new or rebuilt box unless someone here has actually rebuilt one themselves and can share the experience.