Dave,
That's as far as I've got with stripping the engine down. It will surely be magged as I've seen cracks in those areas too.
As far as the bottom end, I haven't made up my mind yet. It may get a set of Pro-Gram caps. It will see some revs, but not on a regular basis like a drag or road race engine.
There are main girdles available for the FE...they use the
oil pan flange as well to pull it all together.