Well, a few new things to report. First, I bought a thermostat housing from Ames for the new motor. Needless to say I will be returning it unused. It has the texture of 40 grit sandpaper both inside and out. Pretty surprising just how bad it looks. I'm sure they will gladly refund my money, but it's surprising a product of such low quality is carried. I have found a pristine used waterneck on Ebay that I will be using.
Next, Joey the Welder and MPD added extra bracing to the Tomahawk windage tray and it is now ready to be installed. There have been a few problems apparently with these windage trays cracking on the crank scraper side, and many recommend making this modification, while others claim it is unnecessary. I opted on the side of caution, and then Joey and Dave doubled down and put a little extra stiffness on the other side as well. I will bead blast the welds and go ahead and removes the cad plating before installation.
Here's a few pictures.
