replacing steering components in CJ question

[Sacredgroove]

ok, my steering box,tie rod ends,steering shaft bushings(just going to do the whole shaft) and drag link are all at the end of their life. steering box is starting to bind and release which makes for quite a thrill ride at 60 mph.
these are my questions: (84 cj7 stock 4.2/t5)
1)i have a full prothane bushing kit for the jeep-any downsides experienced with poly bushings? plan on having them switched over for the componenets im having changed-came with the jeep but never used poly on any vehicles
2)how much better does a cj drive in regards to wandering and play in the wheel with new components..i.e. how were they brand new? lol
3)is there anything else i should go ahead and replace while doing the above? or any upgrades you would recommend(i am going with a heavy duty tie rod)
thanks!

 

[avyoung]

SS Wrangler

As I have replaced bits and pieces it gets a little better each time. I put poly bushing in the shackles and it seemed to help but my old rubber ones were dead so that is expected. I have also heard you can tighten the stearing box, yours may be too tight causing binding, or you may have a dry joint somewhere trying to seize, or just worn really bad.

 

[wm69]

my dad's scrambler has 3500 miles on it (yes that's 3500) and it drives like a dream. One of my '7's has 76K on it and the other has 105K. On the 76K I replaced the box with an AGR unit and pump and it steers easier, but there is still substantial play, so next up is probably going to be tie rod ends and the shaft that goes from the column to the box. I'm hoping that will tighten it up, but I have a feeling the looseness involves replacing the ball joints or front axle U joints (I have no knowledge of whether this would cause looseness or not, but have read that in several places regarding troubleshooting for steering). I know the CJ's drove great when they were new, so hypothtically if you replace all the steering components it should steer that way again.......

 

[jasonvess]

Well i have a 83 cj7 and have replaced all my tie rod ends, steering shaft from column to gear box, ball joints, springs, shakles, all other bushings, sway bar kit, drop pitman arm, shocks, tires, and tightened up the gear box.

and mine still wanders a little, there is still play in the steering. it is much better, but it doesn't drive perfect. I don't like driving it over 70 MPH on the expressway.

I think it is just a characteristic of a cj, i have had three of them, along with a yj and a tj, and all of the cjs drove very similar

 

[Junkpile]

All that crap that we offroaders remove, makes a difference. A YJ will drive down the road just like a CJ after you yank the anti-sway bars and track bars, just a little smoother because of the wider front springs.