steering question

i just got a 92 a few months ago.. the steering has always been very easy to turn almost like PS on steroids. at full lock to the left i rub the tire on the lca and at about 1/4 turn to the right im starting to get a grinding sound.. almost like when brakes start to grind.but the brakes are new. i dont get the sound on jackstands just while moving. i've gone over everything with a flash light and nothing looks freshly ground upon. could these be signs of steering box failure? i have no clue as to how to tell.

Steering box rarley gets noisy, the pump does, sounds kind of like a rattling sound. Any tire over 225/75 R 15 is subject to rub the LCA. You can screw out the stop and put a thin washer behind it. The nut is welded to the steering stop bolt, don't even attempt to turn the jam nut, just screw the whole thing out and put a thin washer behind the jam nut.
With the tire off the ground, spin it slowly, feel/listen to the hub and the front U-joints. When the hub is going, it will often have a little play, if you grab the tire top and bottom and wiggle a little, you can feel it click.
Dry U-joints will make a grinding sound when you turn. There is often a rust ring around the rubber seal on the U-joint bearing cap when they are dry (all the grease is gone).