Been a little while, slight updates.
Was at the local junkyard a couple weeks back and spyed a steering gear box that had some fresh paint, like fresh rebuild paint, so i yanked it to find out it was a reman box that must have been fresh before they threw in the towel and junked the truck! So I put that in my truck along with a new (another used) Jeep XJ steering shaft and well...no more pop bang rattle in the front end.
Now heres my gripe. When I got my steering components original, meaning TRE and tie rod etc, I went with MOOG stuff. All new because I had nothing...I didnt look back in my thread but its been what? less than a year? maybe 2-3K miles and literally the TRE at the pitman arm and steering knuckle were thrashed. I remember the boots falling down almost immediately and not holding grease so that was part of it. This time around I went with autozone junk and right out of the gate the quality was surprisingly better. The taper was tighter, they torqued properly. The grease fittings screwed right in, no struggle like MOOG, the boots were strapped on to the joint end and took grease like normal...I bet they were cheaper too. So first pull out of the driveway and holy crap what a difference! Steering is tight and responsive and doesnt pop when I turn anymore. No more rattle and clank in the front end either.
So thats my story and I'm stickin with it
