a 1200 one is colapsable, the 1000 one is solid, you would have a chance of gettin a 1200 one in the US, but a 1000 one would be hard to get over there..
You can get your steering box rebuilt. I had one rebuilt locally for about $200 a few years back. Getting a good one without play now is pretty hard. They all have play in them.
I'm actually trying to find one to use as a transplant in an MG-TC to take the place of the Bishop's Cam box. I understand that the entire column and box from a 1000 or 1200 will swap without much difficulty. So really, I'm looking for someone who's parting out a car. Thanks for your replies, comments and assistance.