Rebuilding steering @ Chassis and Water Pump?

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Working on a 71 C-10, 402, AT, ground-up originalish, dropped 2.5" front & 4" rear


Steering @ chassis:

Next up is the steering rebuild. The steering box and pump are currently being rebuilt to the tune of $650 counting $170 in shipping (YIKES!). They call it the show detail. Neat, I hope so.

Without knowing much about this, I cleaned up my idler arm, pitman arm and tie rods, and figured to have them painted. Then I started looking for dust seals, of which there's not much of an option out there - if any for the arms. But after 140K mikes & 50 years, and new most all else anyway, it may be better to replace them.

1. Any recommendations for replacements? Moog may have the parts, though they don’t show dust seals with the idler arm (pending). I put the Moog part numbers per Summit below, just for reference.

Looks like Early Classic Enterprises has all the parts as well. They may be a little pricier, but at this point I don't care, just want good parts.

2. Do any replacements come with nice finishes? Be cool if they don't have to be painted.

3. Any reason stock replacement arms & tie rods don’t work with the 2.5” drop? Do they work without modification?

4. Any reason the factory center link won’t work?


Water Pump:

5. Suggestions for a water pump? I’d like a cast iron short water pump, the block and that are factory. Sure I can get a replacement, but what are the advantages of a high volume pump? Tuff Stuff Performance looks decent; they even come orange powder coated........... which probably doesn’t matchhttps://www.summitracing.com/parts/t.../submodel/base

Thanks.

Moog Part #s per Summit:
Idler: 6096T
Pitman: K6131
Inner rods: ES403L
Outer rods: ES415RL
Sleeves: ES2004S