Sorry but the video in Post #7 isn't the least bit helpful---I really don't care how many staples one uses to ship something?
I would have preferred seeing a real world installation and longer term report.
Its sad hearing Red Head steering boxes might be slipping in quality of rebuild---one would think rebuilding a steering gear wouldn't be that difficult to do well. For what they already charge refusing to cover R&I labor for a defective part doesn't make choosing their product seem like a wise choice.
Never heard of the Blue Top brand but they don't seem to be significantly different or all that better than Red Head. BTW I didn't see anything they list for the E-Series---did I miss something?
With both companies core charges and return shipping add to the high cost. That both will or can reduce your core refund based on a few different perhaps unknown factors makes that a process questionable whether its a good idea to even attempt returning your core?
I've had my own issues with re-man'd steering boxes---once bought a Ford unit for just about $100 more than an NAPA CarDone brand. 85K miles later it simply blew apart, not a single warning or prior issue. replaced with the cheap NAPA CarDone brand, some 27.5K miles later all is well.
(Ford does offer a 2 year warranty on their reman'd steering boxes but mine let go just over 5 years after purchase.)
Still even with all that I'm into two boxes and labor costs that still don't exceed the cost of a Red Head. So that leaves me completely undecided what to do if I opt to upgrade or replace my current steering box.
What to do, what to do? IF I could find a new Ford steering box I'd pay the premium price---most are all reman'd these days though.