Glad you got home E. Unfortunately I heard about twelve hours too late about two spare tie rods sitting in camp. I took on a bit of minor cosmetic damage coming back down the trail, Odessa was much more fun than usual!
A quick stop-gap for steering is to go ZJ. That will net you 100% bolt on and a bit stronger. Another budget method is the Rugged Ridge crossover setup, this is also bolt on and a lot beefier but you get the super annoying dead spot.
How annoying was the drive? Did you have to resort to the good old 53 MPH speed limit?