Blackwater, Thanks for putting all of this in one post. It is a great help to be able to read it from beginning to end, well... near the end. Thanks for telling us where some of the work was done. That should help others too.
I am looking forward to seeing how this thing runs. I think I will do a similar post about mine when it goes together in it's final form. My build focused mainly on what off the shelf parts could be used coupled with my limited skills and tools. 12 Bolt built the head and supplied forged Ross 250 pistons. He broke up a set for a six to do that. I also have his side cover and rocker cover.
When we were talking on the phone excited about the possibility of using a 151 roller cam we thought we had come up with something. Then you discovered that the valve order was changed on the Iron Duke (151). Did we ever look into using a 151 head? That would require different manifolds but performance manifolds are available for them. I don't know if that would work but it would open the world of roller cams.
