OK, that worked. I backed up my custom races and pics and stuff, re-installed from the CD, then installed the new 127 patch. The History.txt file now shows four changes, instead of two, and it specifically mentions the weird armor bug.
All's well that ends well. Thanks again, Dracus and Pathy
Be sure to check out Julie Strain at Techno Alamo -
http://www.fandom.com/technoalamo/