Steering box - My nuts are stuck! (to the adjustment screw)

[Thealmightyphil]

Morning All.

The quick summary
My steering box adj. screw and locking nut are stuck together.
How can I separate them without cheesing off the adj. screw head?

A little history
After a long saga of replacing all my axle bushes front and rear with new poly bushes, and replacing all ball ends for fresh ones, and having rebuilt the swivel hubs, im now in a position to make adjustments to the steering box to remedy my ~5" of steering wheel play (yes you read that right, she yearns for the ditches)

The problem
Last night by head torch, after applying a substantial amount of force to a breaker bar (through several socket extensions) to release the lock nut I have achieved movement however, my lock nut is seized stuck to the adjustment screw. The lock nut and adjuster screw move as one... bugger.

I tried restraining the lock-nut with a spanner wedged against something solid and put an adjustable spanner on a very substantial flat head screwdriver and gave that a good heave, unfortunately this did not budge the married couple.

The potential solutions
As it was late, I was tired, and I foresaw a stripped flat head groove in my future, I called it a night to have a think.
She is drenched in penetrating fluid while I have a think, and my thoughts are as follows.

1. With the lock-nut (and adj. screw) wound back a little, give the nut some moderate taps with a brass drift and heavy hammer, and see if that breaks the nut free.
2. Carefully apply some mild heat to the lock nut (not keen on this as I don't want to heat the box and seals)
3. Use a nut-splitter to just split off the M10 lock-nut and replace with a new one.

The ask
Before I go make a mess I wanted to question the place of all knowledge. What do you gents think? Anyone else had this issue? Additional thoughts?

Ive had a read through previous posts regarding this, and seen around 15 years ago people have had luck with the wind out and tap with a heavy hammer, but I wanted to chime in again to see if I can obtain any more knowledge.

If I can help it, I would prefer not to have to remove the steering box as my 4 month old baby prohibits me from sacrificing my free time to the Toyota gods... but likewise 5" of free steering play with a baby in the back is.... wobbly... although it does make him sleep....so maybe I should leave it...

 

[mudgudgeon]

There's better penetrating products than WD40.
In the UK see if you can find WÜRTH Rostoff, or PB Blaster.

What else have you done or looked at to solve the issue?
Why do you think it's the steering box?
With my cruisers I found adjusting the steering box had little impact, and ultimately other issues where causing loose steering.

Did you put poly bushings in the panhard rod ends? These can be an issue, even when new.
Are panhard bolts torqued to spec?
Are radius arm bolts torqued to spec?
Are knuckle stid / steering arm nuts tight?
Are wheel bearings tight? Zero play when the wheel is jacked up and tucked 12 oclock to 6 oclock
Is the truck lifted? Has caster geomtry been corrected? How?

One thing I found with recirculating ball steering boxes in several different vehicles, if there is play, adjusting play with the screw is very limited. You might be able take some play out when the steering is close to centered, but this can cause the box to bind at sharper steering angles.

 

[lumbee1]

When I purchased my 80 I had a least 5" of play in my steering. It was a white knuckle drive home and I'm not sure how the heck the previous owner drove it. I found the information about the steering box nut, adjusted it, and it immediately fixed my problems. I think I had a least one full turn of the adjustment screw when the recommended is to move it 1/8 of a circle at a time.

Unfortunately I don't have a solution for your locknut and adjuster welded together, however if those are rusted, there may be other components at play that could be mimicking an out of adjustment steering box.

 

[Thealmightyphil]

There's better penetrating products than WD40.
In the UK see if you can find WÜRTH Rostoff, or PB Blaster.

What else have you done or looked at to solve the issue?
Why do you think it's the steering box?
With my cruisers I found adjusting the steering box had little impact, and ultimately other issues where causing loose steering.

Did you put poly bushings in the panhard rod ends? These can be an issue, even when new.
Are panhard bolts torqued to spec?
Are radius arm bolts torqued to spec?
Are knuckle stid / steering arm nuts tight?
Are wheel bearings tight? Zero play when the wheel is jacked up and tucked 12 oclock to 6 oclock
Is the truck lifted? Has caster geomtry been corrected? How?

One thing I found with recirculating ball steering boxes in several different vehicles, if there is play, adjusting play with the screw is very limited. You might be able take some play out when the steering is close to centered, but this can cause the box to bind at sharper steering angles.

Thank for taking the time to read through!

Ah my fault, by WD40 I meat to write "penetrating fluid" (stupid force of habit writing WD40 as a coverall term for penetrating fluid), You are correct to call out WD40, lubricating and penetrating is not what its for despite what is sais on the can. Im using plusgas which ive had great results with in the past.

On to the steering:
Your questions are absolutely correct and I agree with your sentiment, if the steering wheel has play don't start at the steering wheel, start at the end of the system and work up stream.

So iv'e owned the 80 around 3 years and originally the steering was even worse than the 5" play I mention here, over the past 18mo ive made the following changes, each having an improvement on the steering to bring it to where we are today:

-New (good quality) poly bushes on front and rear axle: Lower and upper trailing/leading arms and Panhard (the full works, there isnt a bush left unmolested) (This was a huge imporvement)
-New (good quality) drank link and track rod ends (Another huge improvement)
-Rebuilt swivel hubs and so replaced front wheel bearings and kingpin bearings, all torqued and pre-loaded to spec (negligible improvement)
-Hell, ive even replaced the drop links and bushes on the sway bars, and replaced the front springs due to sagging (not that any of this should have an effect on the steering play)

All bolts were tightened to spec, and I can confirm as of recently nothing is lose and the wheel bearings are tight (i'm under the car pretty regularly and inspect as I go), I also recently had the car in for the yearly government inspection (MOT) where these steering critical components are checked by a professional for lose fittings and bearings etc. So were all good on that front! (although the excessive free play is noted on record)

Car is stock height with stock OEM steering and suspension components, (unmolested geometry is what im trying to say). So with all that done, that is why I have now cast my attention to the next upstream piece of the puzzle, the linkage between the steering wheel and the drag link.

I have not yet checked upstream of the steering box as I thought the steering box adjustment would be a relatively quick and easy thing to check before moving up. And yes I understand the adjustment screw isnt a golden key to fix all problems, ill follow the FSM to set the free play then check lock to lock binding/tight spots, as I am expecting the stering box wear that needs adjusting to be in the middle and not towards the ends of the movement, so ill be sure to balance that.

And that brings us up to here, fallen at the first hurdle of the box adjustment!

Cheers!

 

[Thealmightyphil]

When I purchased my 80 I had a least 5" of play in my steering. It was a white knuckle drive home and I'm not sure how the heck the previous owner drove it. I found the information about the steering box nut, adjusted it, and it immediately fixed my problems. I think I had a least one full turn of the adjustment screw when the recommended is to move it 1/8 of a circle at a time.

Unfortunately I don't have a solution for your locknut and adjuster welded together, however if those are rusted, there may be other components at play that could be mimicking an out of adjustment steering box.

Thanks for taking the time!

I've been driving my 80 this way for over 3 years, previously the steering had even more free play than the 5" we have now!

Its remarkable the things you can get used to... Although my wife refuses to drive it in this condition!

But I will say, I had to preempt every camber change, slope change and turn in the road ahead of time, as it would take 1 business day for the wheels to respond to the wheel.

Tiring, stressful, and a nightmare on tight winding 2 way roads.

Im hoping the box adjustment will be the solution to my problems.

 

[Thealmightyphil]

So gents, an update. The adj. screw and lock nut union is broken!

First a liberal application and soak in a proper penetrating fluid (or dismantling lubricant as they call it) Plusgas.

Followed by a few good twats of a lump hammer on the lock nut (by delivery of a brass drift) after the lock nut was wound out a little

Followed by some really hard hits on a manual impact driver on tha adj. screw while the lock nut was retained with a wedged spanner.

And she's finally free!

Soon I will attempt adjustment (the 4mo old baby only allows for work in 15min increments)

This is how she looked prior to unsticking but after I took a break at risk of head rounding.

And the tools that saved the day.

(Please dont tell my wife I was using the ironing board as a work table)

 

[Thealmightyphil]

The saga is complete.

I lost the original position during the nut cracking however counting the threads visible above the nut it looks like we're just over 1 complete turn of adjustment.

I made quarter turns at a time locking the nut each time checking the free play and the lock to lock motion (wheels off the ground and engine off) we were able to get to the FSM max limit of 1.5" however the steering started to feel a little heavy, no binding or lumpy motion, it just began to feel firmer, so this was my comfort limit and to add a safety facor I backed it off a quarter turn to end up with around 2" of free play, substantially more manageable on the road than the +5" id been suffering.

It seems to me that the box internals need replacing given thr 1 complete adjustment turn and were still over the 1.5" limit. In the future ill upgrade the box innards to the 105 series box internals and replace the adj. screw which has now seen better days as she was not easy to turn due to the thread corrosion.

Anyway, she's done, its a huge improvement, we are as far as I feel I can safely go, any more after this is a new box. And thats for another day.

Photos:

How we started

How we ended up (excuse the cheesed head, the threads were nasty)

 

[Thealmightyphil]

I lied, the saga is not complete.

I've worked back from wheel to steering box and have been blinded by the excitement of the box adjustment improvement, there is more upstream! Next I will find a way to test the linkage between the steering box and steering wheel.

I have not yet figured out how to do this, but I will endeavour to find a way to clamp the input at the steering box and measure the free play at the wheel.

In hind sight, this should have been done before adjusting the box, but the simple man couldn't see the wood for the trees, and got too excited about sticky nuts and adjuster screws.

I can visibly see the rag joint under the dash and that looks tight, but there are a few UJ's in the system, lets see if those are alright.

Ill report back when i've figured out what i'm going to do... and what ive seen.

lets hope I don't report back 2" play in the steering linkage and ive over tightened and buggered the box.

 

[Malleus]

There are two U-Joints in the steering linkage, from the firewall to the gearbox. Both are connected by means of a splined shaft, which has a relief turned into the outside diameter. A 8–mm bolt is screwed into the collar which connects both sides of the joint and prevents the shaft from rotating separately from the joint. If these bolts have been misused, the shaft could be rotating past their limits. Not likely, but possible.

Upgrading to a 105 sector shaft won't help your problem. There are no "105 internals" other than the shaft; bearings notwithstanding (and it's doubtful they're your problem). Here's what the gearbox looks like inside:

The adjusting screw, marked with the arrow, presses the sector shaft's lower shoulder against the shoulder in the housing. It just creates a wedge that increases the rotating friction. There's nothing magic about what that screw does, which is why it rarely solves an excessive freeplay problem.

What can create a loose steering wheel is the seals on the adjacent ballnut. That nut depends entirely on the seals to guide it in the housing. If they are compromised, the ballnut will wobble and the fit between the gear sectors on the nut and the shaft won't mesh properly.

Resealing the gearbox solves this problem. Doing the job isn't hard, but the right tools make all the difference in the world. For instance, holding the gearbox housing is well nigh impossible, without something like this:

If you decide to attempt it, just follow the instructions in the service manual, and DO NOT try to disassemble the ballnut. You are just asking for misery if you do, and there's nothing in there you can repair anyway. It either works or it doesn't.

 

[Thealmightyphil]

There are two U-Joints in the steering linkage, from the firewall to the gearbox. Both are connected by means of a splined shaft, which has a relief turned into the outside diameter. A 8–mm bolt is screwed into the collar which connects both sides of the joint and prevents the shaft from rotating separately from the joint. If these bolts have been misused, the shaft could be rotating past their limits. Not likely, but possible.

Upgrading to a 105 sector shaft won't help your problem. There are no "105 internals" other than the shaft. Here's what the gearbox looks like inside:
View attachment 4208488
The adjusting screw, marked with the arrow, presses the sector shaft against its lower shoulder and against the shoulder in the housing. It just creates a wedge that increases the rotating friction. There's nothing magic about what that screw does, which is why it rarely solves an excessive freeplay problem.

What can create a loose steering wheel is the seals on the adjacent ballnut. That nut depends entirely on the seals to guide it in the housing. If they are compromised, the ballnut will wobble and the fit between the gear sectors on the nut and the shaft won't mesh properly.

Resealing the gearbox solves this problem. Doing the job isn't hard, but the right tools make all the difference in the world. For instance, holding the gearbox housing is well nigh impossible, without something like this:

View attachment 4208491

If you decide to attempt it, just follow the instructions in the service manual, and DO NOT try to disassemble the ballnut. You are just asking for misery if you do, and there's nothing in there you can repair anyway. It either works or it doesn't.

Thank you for taking the time to write that out, that is excellent information.

Regarding the steering linkage, thanks for that, i need to get eyes on and inspect it, likewise see if I can rig up a way to test the free play on that part of the system, I would hope, any slop there will be negligable. But your explanation has helped be better understand whats at play behind the wheel.

Onto the steering box: Yeah you're right I wrongly assumed the "105 internals" would be the sector shaft AND the ballnut and you are correct, a new sector shaft likely isn't going to fix squat, I also wrongly assumed new sector shafts, ballnuts and worm gear would be readily available, I have since seen that is not the case.

Now tell me if i've just misunderstood what you've said, but my understanding of the adj. screw is to axially push the tapered sector shaft gear further down into the straight cut ballnut gear. This taking up any wear gap related lash in the mesh.

(Which does check out as I have seen a measured improvement with the adj. screw (+5" down to ~2"), but ive hit a limit with that adjustment which tells me either those gears are worn beyond adjustment, or that the ballnut/worm gear is worn.)

But I still agree with you, its not a magic screw or magic fix, its extremely limited in what it can offer and wont fix a worn box.

Now that ballnut seal play you mentioned is extremely interesting, I did not understand how a seal rebuild would offer any lash improvement without gear replacement/machining but what you have described is an epiphany for me. Sure the o-ring is just for sealing the hydraulic assistance, but those teflon "glide rings" (as i know them) are to keep that ball nut square and "tight" in the housing, so lateral force from the sector gear translates directly into axial movement and not transaxial rotation.

Thanks for sharing your bench vice setup, something I had not yet even considered, this task isnt going to be something I can tackle soon (baby time requirements) but something I could tackle in my little workshop in the future, failing that there is a very good steering specialist shop near me who strip and inspect steering boxes and depending on wear, either perform a "simple" rebuild, or get into the world of gear machining etc. And understood, I already treat that FSM like the bible, the steering box is NOT something I want to go rogue with.

Thanks for taking the time to share that information, it has been incredibly valuable. And apologies for the wall-of-text reply, its something that I find extremely interesting and a better understanding will lead me to the solution.

 

[mudgudgeon]

failing that there is a very good steering specialist shop near me who strip and inspect steering boxes and depending on wear, either perform a "simple" rebuild, or get into the world of gear machining etc.

At that point, look at buying a complete 105 series box and Pittman arm
They are/were available from partsouq.com ( UAE based). and if you're in the UK you're maybe not exposed to the same tariff debacle as those in the USA.

Also try Japan4x4.com, a good 3rd party supplier based in Japan

 

[Malleus]

Not a problem at all, glad to be of any help.

So, the gear backlash really doesn't exist, at least as it would in say your differential gearset. With that arrangement, it's possible to move the gears towards, or away from, each other. The steering gear arrangement doesn't allow for that, since they're straight cut gears. There is no taper on the sector shaft.

All that happens when you turn the "adjustment screw" is that the gear teeth slide past each other, presenting a new wear surface; not that's there's much wear to be had, actually. The backlash is set by the bore alignment when the housing is machined. After that, it can't be changed.

The ballnut's O-rings only provide oil sealing. The Teflon rings actually provide the guide action. The fit is really (I mean really) close and when those rings wear, and they do, the nut doesn't slide axially, it's skewed.

As to doing the job yourself, it's about a two hour job, less cleaning. You will want a torque wrench (up to 80 pounds or so), a spring scale (measuring 0–30 lb·in) , if not a for–real torque wrench with a dial gauge that records max load, a chisel and punch for loosening and staking, and a pin wrench to loosen and tighten the ballnut loading nut. You can make the pin wrench. It should have two Ø3–mm pins on a Ø43–mm bolt circle (you can cheat with one pin, but if you do, know that you'll be bearing on the splined input shaft to loosen and tighten the nut).

Here's what the Toyota toolset looks like:

 

[mudgudgeon]

I would also stay suspicious of your poly bushings in the panhard rod in particular.
Lay under the car and have a helper turn the steering wheel left to right, see if there's movement at the panhard rod

And double check wheel bearings for play. Easily overlooked.

The problem with poly bushings, the bush is cast, and has a separate slip in metal sleeve in the centre. This allows a little bit of slop. No amount of torquing the bolts will eliminate this.
It can be enough to cause death wobbles and slack steering
OEM, or equivalent rubber bushing are made so the rubber is vulcanised to the sleeves. It's bonded as a complete unit not made up of loose parts.
Poly radius arm bushes are the same, though they contribute less to the overall play

 

[Malleus]

No. 4, above, is the wrench for the outer nut on the ballnut side. The dogleg bar is for holding the ballnut in a vise, so you don't have to keep turning it as you work on it. Not required, but very helpful.

No. 3 fits into no. 4, so that you can turn the ballnut loading nut and holding outer nut at the same time. This is something you cannot do if you use an adjustable pin spanner. The alternate tool is a Ford bearing locknut wrench:

The ballnut seal is a bear to get out. My best advice is to puncture it and then use a seal pry tool.

 

[Malleus]

Thank you for taking the time to write that out, that is excellent information.

Regarding the steering linkage, thanks for that, i need to get eyes on and inspect it, likewise see if I can rig up a way to test the free play on that part of the system, I would hope, any slop there will be negligable. But your explanation has helped be better understand whats at play behind the wheel.

Onto the steering box: Yeah you're right I wrongly assumed the "105 internals" would be the sector shaft AND the ballnut and you are correct, a new sector shaft likely isn't going to fix squat, I also wrongly assumed new sector shafts, ballnuts and worm gear would be readily available, I have since seen that is not the case.

Now tell me if i've just misunderstood what you've said, but my understanding of the adj. screw is to axially push the tapered sector shaft gear further down into the straight cut ballnut gear. This taking up any wear gap related lash in the mesh.

(Which does check out as I have seen a measured improvement with the adj. screw (+5" down to ~2"), but ive hit a limit with that adjustment which tells me either those gears are worn beyond adjustment, or that the ballnut/worm gear is worn.)

But I still agree with you, its not a magic screw or magic fix, its extremely limited in what it can offer and wont fix a worn box.

Now that ballnut seal play you mentioned is extremely interesting, I did not understand how a seal rebuild would offer any lash improvement without gear replacement/machining but what you have described is an epiphany for me. Sure the o-ring is just for sealing the hydraulic assistance, but those teflon "glide rings" (as i know them) are to keep that ball nut square and "tight" in the housing, so lateral force from the sector gear translates directly into axial movement and not transaxial rotation.

Thanks for sharing your bench vice setup, something I had not yet even considered, this task isnt going to be something I can tackle soon (baby time requirements) but something I could tackle in my little workshop in the future, failing that there is a very good steering specialist shop near me who strip and inspect steering boxes and depending on wear, either perform a "simple" rebuild, or get into the world of gear machining etc. And understood, I already treat that FSM like the bible, the steering box is NOT something I want to go rogue with.

Thanks for taking the time to share that information, it has been incredibly valuable. And apologies for the wall-of-text reply, its something that I find extremely interesting and a better understanding will lead me to the solution.

Here's what your sector shaft looks like:

The spline for the Pitman arm is tapered, but once the nut is set, that relationship won't change.

 

[Thealmightyphil]

At that point, look at buying a complete 105 series box and Pittman arm
They are/were available from partsouq.com ( UAE based). and if you're in the UK you're maybe not exposed to the same tariff debacle as those in the USA.

Also try Japan4x4.com, a good 3rd party supplier based in Japan

Thanks for the info, I dont know why but I always thought partsourq was USA only (probably as the current defaults to dollars and im thick) , we have good (and cheap) trade routes here with the UAE so thats a whole new part sourcing route I can exploit, thanks. Likewise Japan4x4 completely missed my radar. I have extensively used Amayama and a breaker contact out in pakistan where they have RHD very dry and rust free 80's.

Ill have a peruse through those sources, however what I will say is that local specialist offers rebuilds for £400-500 and gear teeth grinding and polishing for £500-600, which is less than half the £1,200 amayama want for a new box.

Ill not be making any hasty decisions with my money, this is food for thought while I decide what to do next with the box which I think soon needs a rebuild.

 

[Malleus]

While it may be attractive that your local specialist offers rebuilds at cut rate prices, they cannot be using OEM Toyota parts. The shaft, seals, bearings and miscellaneous parts cost more than they have quoted you, and that doesn't include their labor for cleaning, disassembly, inspection, paint and reassembly. It's unlikely the gear teeth can be improved by polishing, and grinding will render them useless as the mounting distance is fixed by the machining in the housing.

Stedman should be able to beat the Amayama price, which isn't far off what a quality rebuild would cost you.

 

[Thealmightyphil]

Not a problem at all, glad to be of any help.

So, the gear backlash really doesn't exist, at least as it would in say your differential gearset. With that arrangement, it's possible to move the gears towards, or away from, each other. The steering gear arrangement doesn't allow for that, since they're straight cut gears. There is no taper on the sector shaft.

All that happens when you turn the "adjustment screw" is that the gear teeth slide past each other, presenting a new wear surface; not that's there's much wear to be had, actually. The backlash is set by the bore alignment when the housing is machined. After that, it can't be changed.

The ballnut's O-rings only provide oil sealing. The Teflon rings actually provide the guide action. The fit is really (I mean really) close and when those rings wear, and they do, the nut doesn't slide axially, it's skewed.

As to doing the job yourself, it's about a two hour job, less cleaning. You will want a torque wrench (up to 80 pounds or so), a spring scale (measuring 0–30 lb·in) , if not a for–real torque wrench with a dial gauge that records max load, a chisel and punch for loosening and staking, and a pin wrench to loosen and tighten the ballnut loading nut. You can make the pin wrench. It should have two Ø3–mm pins on a Ø43–mm bolt circle (you can cheat with one pin, but if you do, know that you'll be bearing on the splined input shaft to loosen and tighten the nut).

Here's what the Toyota toolset looks like:

View attachment 4208703

View attachment 4208704

Thanks again for your replies, incredibly insightful.

Sorry in advance, its a fascinating system and your knowledge is very insightful for me... so be warned... a wall-of-text is incoming.

Sector gear obsession
Now correct me if i'm wrong as I have never laid hands or eyes on a sector shaft in person, and I dont want come across as though I want an argument, I just want to understand as my eyes are thinking they see something.

Looking at photos of the gear on the sector shaft it looks to me that the sector shaft gear root/bottom lands are a different radius from the shaft centre axis from top to bottom (axially). (That is what I meant by tapered gear, they are straight cut gears, cut straight along the shaft axis but it looks like they were straight cut at an offset angle to the shaft axis starting further away from the shaft and finishing the cut closer)

Which is why i'm thinking (in my thick head) that pushing the shaft down pushes a thicker part of the sector gear teeth profile into the ball-nut gears (effectively closing the gap).

OR am I just an idiot misinterpreting photos and I need to take a seat and listen to those with hands on knowledge! But that is to say i'm just trying to understand the geometry interaction, this isn't to take away from your statement that the adjuster screw isnt a magic and doesn't do all that much as I agree with that.

Anyway enough about my insesent interest in the gear geomerty.

On to the rebuild
Thanks for the info on the teflon glide rings, that makes total sense. I can clearly see why worn rings in a tight clearancewill cause skewing and not pushing, that will be the main area of interest for me if I attempt a tear down myself.

And only 2 or so hours to rebuild? That's very impressive, looking through rebuild guides I assumed it would be considerably longer than that. Thats perfect, all bar a good spring scale ive got all i need in my little home workshop.

Wow a power steering overhaul toolset! That photo is excellent! Thats one ill save for my archives, I have to ask, how did you come across such an excellent kit!

Little kits like that make a workshop. Ill keep those photos for inspiration if I need to mock up my own bootleg toolings.

Thanks again, greatly appreciate the knoledge.

 

[Thealmightyphil]

No. 4, above, is the wrench for the outer nut on the ballnut side. The dogleg bar is for holding the ballnut in a vise, so you don't have to keep turning it as you work on it. Not required, but very helpful.

No. 3 fits into no. 4, so that you can turn the ballnut loading nut and holding outer nut at the same time. This is something you cannot do if you use an adjustable pin spanner. The alternate tool is a Ford bearing locknut wrench:
View attachment 4208709
The ballnut seal is a bear to get out. My best advice is to puncture it and then use a seal pry tool.

View attachment 4208710

Thank you very much for taking the time to share this info.

This is the kind of info that just takes all the faffing about out of your first attempt, where its all new and you don't know how to overcome hurdles until your'e stood in front of it scratching your head.

I do prefer to do my own work and rebuilds so I am leaning towards a self rebuild, ill be sure to use this tooling and disassembly knowledge to plan ahead and make some purchases and fill up my ever growing "once in 35 year tools" drawer.

Bonus pic from my custom made used once tool drawer og which I am a hoarder for, the hastily cobbled together special custom tool for when we renewed the harmonic dampers/pulleys... Dont let the quality of tool fabricataion be a mark of the quality of work I like to do mind you, the steel was free, the plasma cutter had filled its underwear, and the tool worked as "designed"

 

[Thealmightyphil]

I would also stay suspicious of your poly bushings in the panhard rod in particular.
Lay under the car and have a helper turn the steering wheel left to right, see if there's movement at the panhard rod

And double check wheel bearings for play. Easily overlooked.

The problem with poly bushings, the bush is cast, and has a separate slip in metal sleeve in the centre. This allows a little bit of slop. No amount of torquing the bolts will eliminate this.
It can be enough to cause death wobbles and slack steering
OEM, or equivalent rubber bushing are made so the rubber is vulcanised to the sleeves. It's bonded as a complete unit not made up of loose parts.
Poly radius arm bushes are the same, though they contribute less to the overall play

This is also something I hadnt considered, I do prefer rubber bushings but opted this time for poly due to their ease of assembly on my DIY driveway workshop.

Poly bushes I do not have that much experience with, as on my old car the P.O.S land rover discovery 3 the heavy weight and poor design would lead to cracked control arms with poly, so they were all rubber.

I assumed the poly bushes would be less likely for this kind of slop HOWEVER your statement is sound, I will absolutely get down there and see whats going on with a helper, I have a gut feeling I am going to see movement...

I don't have anything to compare it to as when I took ownership the rubber bushings on all axles were shot, so moving to the replacements was a huge improvement over the ditch yearning.