I'm an OEM guy when it comes to front end and brake parts. OEM strut mounts are key. Don't consider anything else for that part. Struts are more a matter of taste but Koni, some Bilsteins and OEM (now Sachs) are pretty safe bets. OEM control arms definitely. Not sure about tie rods and ball joints. Lemforder should be fine. Do some searches here for more info. No URO though...

A weeping water pump gasket is a common 240 problem. BTDT! 127k isn't a lot of miles on a 240 water pump. They can go 200k. Yes, you could replace it but another option is to replace just the gasket then re-torque the pump on the gasket. The key is applying the right amount of torque when reinstalling it.

Skip dropping the tranny pan, consider doing a manual flush instead using the cheapest fluid you can find. Then replace with the correct ATF synthetic fluid and you will probably never need to touch the tranny fluid ever again. Unless you run it to 500k...:)