old steering colum: to save or replace

[amc78cj7]

My son and I are nearing completion of his '77 bronco project which will be his first "car" taking him to and from school once he turns 16 this summer. This weekend I prepared to install the new steering shaft and questioned the safety of reusing a steering column from a '72 bronco. The splines are a little worn, but still all there. Yet a new column runs $400 minimum and that's money that could really be used elsewhere on the project.

What would you do?

 

[Madgyver]

Rebuild it with a new shaft. Most vendors now have parts available.
For some it may be cheaper to buy a new oem/aftermarket column.