Several of you asked me to write back and let you know if and when I fixed the "crunch".
Yes, about 2 hrs. ago. I replace the steering rack with a reman for $150. I just knew the symptoms were not indicative of McPherson Struts, tie-rods, or sway bar bushings.

I even put my original 185,000 miles outer tie-rods back in. They were still tight as new if you can believe that!

The crunch is gone. The steering wheel is now tight as new. Those tires I thought were out of balance must have been caused by the rack slop. No vibration now. Matter of fact my steering wheel is straight as can be and she tracks straight as an arrow! I am amazed that I do not need an alignment. I guess time will tell.

I got some busted knuckles and elbows while learning how to replace that SOB rack. If any of you have an inclination to replace your rack let me know. I can probably save you some MAJOR headaches.