Steering box/Pittman arm question

I am in the process of replacing all of the front suspension parts on my truck due to a broken driver side ball joint. In the process I discovered that the prior owner did something to the suspension to cause the upper control arm shaft bolt on the passenger side to bend as well as the front coil springs to bend. I found out today that the Pittman arm currently on the truck is a ford Pittman arm. The new Chevrolet Pittman arm does not match the existing ford part. The Ford Pittman arm has about a three inch drop and is longer than the Chevrolet part. I am wondering, since I have replaced everything but the steering box and the Pittman arm in the front end, if I should go ahead and replace the steering box and Pittman arm. I am not sure if the steering box is Chevrolet or Ford plus it is seventeen years old and I do not know if it was damaged in any way when the suspension was damaged. I am also worried that the ford Pittman arm is not going to connect to the center-link and I am also concerned about having a Ford part connected to what is now all new parts in the front suspension. The truck was a "work truck" that was owned by the company I used to work for. When I was laid off they offered me the vehicle. It was not maintained very well. The truck has 304,000 miles on it. The engine was replaced at about 270,000 miles which is why I decided to fix the front end. Thanks for any advice, Don