My son and I swapped the steering box over the weekend. Not too bad a job. Discovered that, though I love Harbor Freight, their combination wrenches might not be the best. The bolts that hold the steering box to the frame are 21mm, but I had to use a hammer to pound the HF 21mm wrench on to the head of the bolts. Weird. Might not have been manufactured to the most exacting specifications.
Also was amazed at the high CORE charge for the unit. $286.00 at Carquest, even though the part itself was 149.99. I avoided the CORE charge by bringing in the old part when picking up the new (rebuilt) one. I like to do that anyway, it allows me to very carefully match the part up visually to make sure the new part is an exact match.
The steering definitely feels “tight and right” now.
Thanks, guys, for the input, and thanks, Eric, for the forum!