steering boxes

[jimcherokee]

i just installed some new steering, and when i took it to the alignment shop the guys there told me my steering box has got a lot of play in it.. so i'm going to have to get a new one. you all run some serious rigs over here so i'm sure at least one person here has considered, or actually upgraded their steering boxes.
here's what i'm lookin' at (with very little research). i could get an upgraded steering box for around $400, or i could get a stock one at a junk yard for around $100. what would you all reccomend?
i'm runnin' 31"s now, JCR's 1-ton steering upgrade, and i have plans to run 33"s within a year (depending on money). is it worth the upgrade or should i just get another stock box?
and finally, i've poked around a little bit at how hard it is to install a steering box, and it appears it is something you can tackle in a driveway.. would you all reccomend this? or is it generally a bad idea?
thanks in advance.
Jimmy

[lostone]

A reman from autozone is $140. I replaced 5 or 6 of them with one from there and have yet to have a problem.

It is a about a stright forward swap as you can get. The worse part is getting the arm off the old box.

If you want to drive down to the Lake Anne area, I would be willing to help you swap it out.

[H2_RECOVERY]

X2. There is also a adjustment bolt which can be adjusted to remove some play! You need to know what you are doing first before you touch it or you could loose your steering alltogether!

[jimcherokee]

i almost rolled my jeep off the side of the mountain on flagpole today... i'm givin' this business a rest, my grandpa just passed away and i'm gonna run his buick for the rest of the semester and let the jeep sit for a few months until i can decide what i want to do, at this point though i'm pretty sure that was my last wheelilng trip.

thanks for the advice though!

[Jeffb_79]

Ouch.
What happened? The steering, ice, or a mix of the two?

[crazy4ink]

A remanufactured box from Napa, Autozone or Advance would be fine. You are running 31s so you are not putting too much leverage on your stock steering box. I ran my stock box with 36s on steel beadlocks in -50* temps in Alaska with no issues.
IMO, have another shop check your steering before you just taken the first shop at their word. Some shops don't have much experience with 4wd vehicles and how their steering feels different from a non-4wd vehicle.