328 Inner Tie Rod - PLEASE HELP

I have a bad 328 inner tie rod. It is for the early 328 with the old suspension geometry, it is therefor a shorter rod than the "88". It absolutely is bad, it is not the common bushing problem. It is not like the 308 where the rod's ball joint comes apart. I don't think it is serviceable, so I am looking for a replacement part. Again this is the INNER tie rod, NOT the outer (the outer is available anywhere).
I did search the forum the best i could and I did not find anything. I would have to believe this could cross reference to a very common car. All that needs to match is the thread and the length.
I did contact one Pantera place so far, but the Pantera is the same as the 308 and therefor the inner tie rod is not the same, so I don't think the Pantera scene can help in this case.
Summer is here and the Ferrari is on jack stands with no rack. Help.

 

The nylon/teflon(?) bearing in the ball joint is worn. The ball floats around in the socket it is so loose. It is pressed in and not repairable.

I found one. But it is not cheap. It is at Mr. Fiat.
Ferrari 308 QV 328 Steering Track Rod - 308 QV 328 - Ferrari - Italian Cars

Looking at Mr. Fiat's other prices, it seems some things are marked up about 4x what they should be. I hate being taken. I bet this part crosses to something, like a Yugo and can be bought for $25 somewhere. So now the question is does someone know the crossover part? or a cheaper place?
As mentioned, it doesn't have a ferrari part number, so it isn't on the parts diagrams that a number of ferrari parts sites use. I have reached out to several ferrari parts places via email but have not heard back from them. I suspect they don't have them because ferrari doesn't supply them.

 

I contacted Superformance and they don't have it. I also heard back from All Ferrari Parts and they don't have it. I assume any Ferrari dealer won't have it. It would have to be sourced as an aftermarket part. I think they re-manufacture them or make them new which is the reason for the high cost.
I contacted TRW to see if this is something that we can put on their radar and maybe they can help us out in the future. Ultimately we (all the 328 owners) may need this part at some point.
So my other idea is to buy a 308 rack. I think this is what Superformance sells because it is much easier to source and fix. Can anyone confirm that this is a perfectly good solution? The rack is made differently, so my main concern with be the mounting points and the location of the input shaft, I don't know if those changed. I don't care that the car would not be 100% original. This isn't a concourse car. There are brand new 308 racks on ebay for $120 shipped. I would think that the 308 geometry is the same as the early 328's. I would have a totally new rack for half the cost of the track rod. And I am not totally 100% trusting of the rest of my rack as to when the next part will fail.
As for the used racks for sale, the recent one was a late 328 rack, it will not work, it is longer.
I actually have a late 328 long rack (I bought it a while ago before I knew the difference). So it is for sale! I probably could machine down the track rods to make it fit, but I don't want to molest it, it is 100% original and in good working condition.

 

I think I answered my own question. I looked at the Superformance part #s on the website and the early 328 part number is the same as the 308. So they just say screw it and put in the old 308 rack. The early 328 rack is pretty rare as it was only used for 2 years.
Though I would still be interested to hear from someone who has done this.
Also, what do you think of "BuyAutoParts" on ebay. Their rack for $120 says 105 sold recently, so some of you bought one. Any problems with it?

 

Brand New Manual Steering Rack and Pinion Gear Assembly for Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 | eBay

or directly

1980 Ferrari 308 Manual Steering Rack Manual Steering Model 80-70007 AN

This part 80-70007AN seems to be at a bunch of different sites, I don't know who the parent company is that makes them. I am guessing it is not even a TRW rack and doesn't have any TRW components, it is just a total aftermarket china deal. They have a 80-7000 R which costs more, like $300, and has a $150 core. These are probably the rebuilt TRW rack. But hey, for $120, its worth a shot. Just wondering what others thought of them, people obviously have been buying them.

 

I was leaning towards the cheap 308 rack, but I realized that the mounts aren't going to work with it. The 328's rack has the skinny tube all the way to the passenger side. Whereas the 308 has that cast housing that holds the famous bushing. That housing is where the mount goes and so my 328 mount is going to be too small. I would have to find a 308 mount. I would prefer to go to a 308 rack since all the parts are available. But right now I am leaning towards buying the $250 track rod unless I find a deal on a 308 mount.