Pretty much. I got the crud back in. Boy, do I deserve a beer. Another beer, I mean.
I had to disconnect the upper control arms to be able to get the shaft back. What. A. Pain. In. The. Arsch.
I decided to use the stripped bolt with the welded on hex head. Finished the weld so it went all the way around first. Worked just fine. I don't really see a reason to replace it.