Repair or replace?

I have a 96 with a 5.5" and 33's. I noticed that the cv joint on my front shaft is shot but i also noticed that the slip yoke (I think thats what its called) also has play but i dont see how this can be fixed or if there should be any play. If i should just replace the cv joint then what brand makes a good one, part # would be nice. how much can i get a cheep drive shaft for oh ya im on a budget!! the shaft os original and it has about 115k on it

i had the front u-joint in mine go bad and the slip yoke had a good bit of play in mine so i took it to a local driveline shop and they fixed it up for $200 yah it was kinda expensive but they replaced the front u-joint, yoke forward shaft and made the whole foward part of the shaft stronger so it was a good investment so i say just get the one u go fixed and its cheaper at most places if u take it out urself and take it in

like many things it's much cheaper to fix the driveshafts before there is a problem.

do this every 1-10 wheeling trips:

grease u-joints
dissassemble and grease slip joint
grease "CV ball" thingy

oem cv ball must be dissasembled to grease
if you're going to dissassemble, putting new u-joints is wise
you can get a replacement greaseable ball yoke thingy

that said, there's 2 "normal wear" parts of the shaft that only a shop can fix
1)the blue coating on the splined shaft
2) the pin thingy that engages the ball (welded to shaft)

so the idea is to keep both these things clean and greasy and they will last through many sets of u-joints and ball kits. or you can let it go till you have problems and do a more costly repair.

if it was me i'd go lookin for a ds at a pick n pull place and then maintain it well.