update:
charging system was acting up so i replaced the belt, tensioner, and an idler pulley in addition to the alternator
the tensioner was significantly easier to manipulate than the new one... the idler pulley was nearly seized... i didnt measure the belt, just blindly replaced it... the result: my power steering pump quit making noise and steering improved... the temp gauge still rises to 225, maybe a bit less so than before though... i dunno its still cold here. i got it to hit 225 after lots of uphill and idle when ambient temps were 50F... i think its better but still not 100% 'fixed'. pretty sure ill be checking for exhaust gasses in the coolant next... maybe its a tiny headgasket leak, i dunno.

the old alt checked out ok... oddly.
i re-did the chassis ground by the battery/fuse box while i was at it, so maybe that contributed to charging failure, not sure.
the trans shifts firmed up a bit too... i think the tensioner/pulley/belt combo helped out there... but the trans will shift kinda sketchy again when the trans fluid warms up kinda high like when coolant is 220+...
pretty sure a tranny cooler, inline filter and maybe even a third fan set to like 200F are in my future...