agree on nixing the windage tray. i was debating on using one on a stroker motor build & was advised against it from some here & other reputable builders. i use a milodon baffled pan & the dipstick that bolts to the cap. even your stock baffled pan should be plenty oil control for a low rpm 455 street car.
a dowl pin can't fall out of the block with the caps installed, but maybe it happened when you were working in there... now you need to find where it came out of & get it reinstalled. sounds like another pan drop is in the future, but you can probably do this blind folded now!
as for the split motor mount, anchor & all other brands are pretty much crap & cant hold any real power/torque. you can look into the mighty mounts that butler sells, they will help but some say they break too & are WAY overpriced for what they are. or do what i did & make your own, very simple to do, just drill a hole through the center of the mount, tap the bottom plate & run a counter sunk bolt through it. i do a couple extra steps on mine & its lasted a long time on its own with a 500+ 467 stroker, but i eventually added a limiter chain off the driver side head & they both are doing fine after lots of low 11sec drag strip runs. very easy & stealthy to add a limiter chain on these 2nd gen firebirds.
best of luck tracking this tick down!
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