Manual steering gear- how long do they last?

[C10wip]

I have been working on tightening up the steering but there is still a little slop. Doing the steering wheel back and forth test, it seems that it's coming from the steering box. The first time I did that test I found a bad tie rod end, and replacing that which made a big difference, but you can still feel the slop when driving. I have also put in the XJ steering mod. So, my question is - how long does the steering gear box typically last? It's an '80, and I have no idea what the mileage is ( looks like a different inst. panel ) and the truck does not look particularly well cared for.
I have seen the warnings about doing the "bubba" adjustment on the screw so I'm not going to do that, and doing the proper adjustment means pulling it out and checking w/a dial or pointer torque wrench which I don't have; I don't want to do all that if it's likely that it is completely clapped out anyways. The rebuilt ones from RockAuto/Cardone are only $95 so it's tempting to just do that. Any advice?

[Ozzy2013]

If you have the money i would replace it its your steering!

[D13]

It's very dependent on use, my 77 is worn out and my 81 is like new. You can adjust the lash out by going over close to full turn, then setting the lash. But the wear is 90% in the center.

I'm not sure how 'rebuilt' the boxes are, usually they just do seals and bearings and that doesn't address the teeth. it you're comfortable that your issue is the gear it's probably worth the $100.

[C10wip]

Good point, I doubt they replace the gears; hopefully they have some sort of QC though. Anyway, I went ahead and just ordered a rebuilt one, $112 and a $150 core charge (!). Thanks for the advice.

[C10wip]

Follow up post - I put the new steering gear in and it feels like an improvement. A couple of items to pass along from this experience:

1. The pitman arm nut is 33mm, at least on the manual steering gear. I had 32 and 36mm sockets... ..and now a 33mm. Apparently this is also an axle nut size on some GMs, so maybe I'll get more than one use out of it. $14 at AutoZone. The nearest SAE size is 1 5/16", no idea if that would work but I would guess so.

2. The Unit Repair Manual shows the pitman arm nut torque as 185 ft-lbs. Haynes lists it as 140. The difference is about 1/8th of a turn.
The power and manual boxes are different by 10 ft lbs.

3. Wear those safety glasses! Apart from stopping all of the dirt from falling in your eyes, they could also save you some grief if you drop this thing and happen to be looking up. It is not tremendously heavy, but it could definitely ruin your day.