On the weekend I got stuck in and replaced the tired, old front struts and all their components as well as the tie rod ends. I read that the KYB struts were good so I went with those and just got some tie rod ends from eBay. Didn't have any dramas except for one nut that I couldn't get undone for ages (always the case) and now the car feels much nicer to drive! It's nice and solid in the front end instead of clunky and harsh. Here are some photos anyway:
Old Monroe strut
Old strut mounts and bearings. All the ball bearings were basically just floating around in the mounts.
New KYB shortened struts. My springs were still loose enough in these struts to not need spring compressors haha. Not sure if that's a bad thing...
New tie rod end. The old ones may as well have not had a rubber boot on them at all.
My steering isn't too badly out but I've got it booked in for a wheel alignment today so hopefully that only further improves the ride! Overall it was a successful weekend working on the old girl. Got to use my new torque wrench too!