It is normally the joint above the UJ that wears. If you look on ebay you will see two types of 'Recon' columns. They are about £80.
One is where they put a new 'joint' in place of the rubber one and the other is where they just weld that part.
I do not have a view on whether the welded option is OK although it seems a common fix . If you are happy to have the joint welded (and it is NOT the UJ) then obviously you could remove the column, have it welded and then replace.
John
January 2010