Well last night I installed my new steering box and let me tell you this...HOLY HELL did it make a HUGE difference. The steering went from about 40-50 degrees of play down to maybe 10 degrees of play. The tseering is SO much more responsive to turns now! I got a reman unit from Carquest Auto Parts and it is just amazing what the difference was from the stock unit. I want to give a very big thanks to MnTom for sending me the factory bolts to install the new box and they worked out excellent! I can't thank him enough for helping me out in this situation. The only thing that kinda sucked was removing and installing the pressure and return lines on the box itself. It was a tight area to work with and if anyone wants to know, they were both 18mm fittings. I swore up and down thy were standard but none of the bolts/fasteners were standard that I could see. Everything went back together fine and now I am one happy camper!

 

 

Just thought I would share and again Thanks MnTom for the help!

You are welcome, sir! Glad you got it together. Yep, the hoses are not the easiest, but you got it done!

You are welcome, sir! Glad you got it together. Yep, the hoses are not the easiest, but you got it done!

Yeah there were a few choice words said, but it eventually went back together! 

I know how that goes!!

This thread makes me happy... my steering is pretty loose as well. My pump just puked all the fluid out so I am upgrading the entire system. As of now, I have the Rock Solid Ram bushing and borgeson steering shaft installed. I have all new hoses, gear box and pump from Borgeson sitting in my garage now. I'm also putting a Magnifine inline filter on the system and using Royal Purple full synthetic fluid. I have a gear box brace coming in from Dodge Off Road, but they lost my order and are just now getting to it so I will just have to wait to put it on til it gets here. I CANNOT wait til my truck steers better than new!

It's so nice to have steering back!

Carquest Parts.

Was this Carquest steering box a OEM rebuild by Carquest?

Carquest Parts.

Was this Carquest steering box a OEM rebuild by Carquest?

 

It was an A1Cardone rebuild. 

the best thing i have ever seen for installing the pressure lines were crow foot sockets there like a box wrench that mount on a strange angle for hard to reach places,they have them at th local napa but there $60 a set but well worth it i would think.

2WD or 4x4?

I bet the old steering box was loose in the sector adjustment.

Remind me...  my recollection is there's a certain amount of lash adjustment in the steering box...  and that's about it.