So my steering is terrible and want to tighten it up. I have a 95 GT. I know I have bad tie rod ends because I can hear the tick from moving the steering wheel. What else should I replace while Im down there as preventative?
Outer Tie rod end failure is common on these cars. I went with a Steeda bump steer kit. It has a rod end, which isn't as good as the original ball joint style, but it is double threaded for easier adjustment. If the rack and inner tie rods are still in good condition, that is all you should need. If the inner tie rod ends are bad, it is better to get ahead and change the entire steering rack. The inner tie rods cost about $30/each, and the entire rack is about $85. Given how close in price it is, it's just more fiscally responsible to change the whole thing. Rebuilt steering racks generally don't come with outer tie rod ends.
How many miles are on your car? You might want to raise it up and check to see if the play is in the rack or the outer tie rod ends, or both. I can turn my steering wheel with the car on the ground and hear clunking too, but it's not the outer tie rods, it's the rack. And there's 130k on my car. I'm replacing both the rack and outer tie rod ends with Ford parts this weekend. Got them from a dealer through work for $300. I don't really trust partshouse parts for things like that. An $85 rack worries me.