Where it started peeling I don't think is a structural area so much, but you might want to have a body shop look at it none the less. Just make sure they don't charge you for anything and don't start working on it.

By unbalanced, what exactly do you mean? How do you know that it was "balanced" to begin with? But yes, it would definitely go best with a set on the rear of the car...

You shouldn't really need an alignment unless you ajusted toe or lost/misplaced spacers for the control arms up front. But then again, the ride height could be slightly different, which in itself would throw off the alignment a tad, but not so much that you need to worry about it necessarily.
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Kyle - 142, 145, and 244! - Oregon Volvo Tuners?