Update time!
The steering rack is still sitting in its box untouched since Tom has since retired. Because I put off the wheel alignment for so long I was getting uneven tire wear which evolved into a wobble in the wheel which just got progressively worse and worse. It had also started hesitating a little bit when I first put it into gear, like I was rolling over a small speedbump which made me wonder if the wobble had caused damage to the wheel hub or CV joint or something else. So I took it to a new shop Tom told me about but it took 2 weeks of waiting before they had an opening to get me in.
There was more wrong that I suspected but it wasn't as bad as I feared. The front passenger strut had been leaking for a long time, I have a broken swaybar link on the driver's side, and the wire leading from the wheelhub for ABS and TC had been knocked loose and damaged. The strut had to be replaced because there was no point in aligning it, I'm going to do the swaybar link myself, and the wheelhub is totally fine except for the wire. I can live without ABS and TC.
The tire on the passenger side was BAD, like really really BAD. I knew it was worn and needed to be replaced but I didn't know that it had the cords showing throw on the inner side. The guy there said "If you just put a new tire on this and do nothing else, this car will drive 100% better". I told them to go ahead and do the strut because I still lack the gear to do something like that in my driveway, and while they waited for the part to arrive I went to the local tire shop to get some new rubber.
For the strut, tire, and alignment it was almost $700 but it could have been so much worse. I did the rear air shocks back in 2009 but it's time to do them again. After getting fucked I don't know how many times on the strut mount, the strut leaking, and now the air shocks, I have lost ALL faith in Monroe as a brand. So this time I'm going to try KYB and do them myself in the driveway.
I also had a headlight go out last night so I gotta fix that. These are the joys of driving an old car.