I've got about 12 years on my current pitman and idler arms in my '65 Plymouth Valiant. I need a new steering gearbox but I also wonder how long life I could expect for these exercised parts. Any thoughts? Thanks.

you can get 100 years of life out of your idler arms if you never drive it again.
how many miles have you put on these idler arms and what brand were they?

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

I drive about 5,000 a summer so that's about 60,000 on the arms.

that's half of the answer i need.

other half, again: what brand of balljoints are these? are they original to the car, or are they aftermarket and what kind? and do you grease them at every oilchange?

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

They get greased twice a year at least. As far as brand, they were from NOS places that I won't remember. It seems there are many places today who seem to produce quality new ones like Firmfeel and Steer and Gear. Sounds to me like it would hurt and they're cheap enough to replace.

i'm not sure what this means, but if the pitman/idlers you have on your car are indeed "new old stock" genuine dodge parts that have been on the shelf for decades, and not aftermarket ones sold to you under that pretense, then they will likely outlive you with the mileage youre putting on them. just in case, grease them at every oilchange (like you're doing)and save your money for when they do wear out. replacing them is neither cheap nor fun.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Thanks for the info. I'm sure I didn't put low quality in there the last time. I'll watch for wear.