Steering Shaft Source

My steering shaft u-joint is starting to seize up, and I'm having a tough time finding a replacement.

The dealership has them for $400+, and none of the auto parts stores around me can come up with a replacement.
I did find plenty on Amazon/Ebay for around $40, but all with no-name brands.

Is Mopar the way to go with these?

Rockauto has MOPAR steering shaft for a bit over $200 that may work depending on your exact configuration

A few yrs ago I bought an aftermarket shaft for my H3 (no Delco shafts were avail). The quality looked really good, but the input/output splined ends were slightly mis-aligned (welded slightly out of phase). I could tell out of the box so I could have sent it back, and I toyed doing that. I also toyed with cutting the welded end off and re-welding it 'straight'. But it wasn't that much and I compensated by tweaking the tie rods as needed. I usually set my vehicle's toe anyway, but it took some time. If you have to pay a shop for an alignment, factor that into your overall pricing. And who knows? Maybe had I sent it back, the next aftermarket shaft would have been welded perfect straight??

But overall, the actual quality of the shaft, the quality is fine. Nothing jumped out at me. It appeared 'exactly' the same as the shaft I removed. I didn't see any 'bad quality' signs. Almost like it was made by the same outfit ...which is why I wasn't too worried about trying it out. It's held up fine so far and I'm running 33's on that too.

But if you plan to keep your truck a while and all that, $200 from Rock Auto for a Mopar might not be a bad way to go.

Outside of Mopar the only one I would consider is Borgeson, but you aren't going to save any money. You get a much better shaft and universals but they are as expensive as OEM. I put one in my 1996, cleaned up the play in the Steering big time. You do have to ensure they are installed EXACTLY right, per the instructions, or you can end up with no steering at all.

Having seen a lot of wrecked cars and trucks, and what happens with steering when vehicles get whacked hard, I would ONLY buy a shaft *if* it was a fully welded as per OEM with the exact same oem-matching splines. If it uses set-screws, it's a compromise in safety, and a wreck & lawsuit waiting to happen. Always verify fit and application.

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