this might seem like a silly question, but if my rear shocks are totally worn out, could that be the reason why the entire car drifts when i'm going 70 mph, especially on bumps? i have a front wheel drive '86 GL wagon, and everything in the front end is new (struts, balljoints, axles, etc) except the bushings and tie rod ends, and those seem tight when i shake the wheels by hand. i just took a trip through the desert, and now the rear shocks are DONE. i guess i just answered my own question. perhaps this would be a good time to slap in a 4x4 axle setup. it looks pretty bolt-in. i wonder if the clutch is the same?

indeed rear struts,

 

my xt was ALL over the place at 70mph before i replaced them

my 91 legacy does the same thing. blown out struts, but i think my handling issue is a rear wheel bearing. have a look at that since that is more likely to cause handling issues than blown struts

Does anyone know how important the end links are? Are they very important if you do the rear sway swap?

 

End links come into play more during cornering, than driving straight. While going straight, you aren't stressing the sway bar at all, because you aren't rolling the body to the side.