My "new" '74 Duster- or why I need a project like a hole in the head

Hey Blu wanted to pick your brain a little ref. your 1.12 TBs and Fox shock combo plus you've had experience with 1.00 and Bilsteins. I was planning to go with FF 1.06s with my Fox shocks but there is a contingent on the handling forum on Moparts that insist bigger is better and 1.12 at a minimum, 1.18 even better. I want the car to handle well for track days and autox but... I'm also planning on some NW road trips, possibly to Vegas for MATS in the future, so I want to be able to make 8-10 hour runs without having my spine slowly driven into my skull. You and I seem to have similar goals and are building our cars as such. Sooo.....
1. Ride quality/handling of 1.00/Bilsteins vs 1.12/Fox?
2. Effect of the shorter stiffer sidewalls of the new 18s ref. #1.
3. I'm thinking my car is going to be a couple hundred lbs heavier than yours (pwr steering, pwr brakes, Lakewood bell, cast iron cased 833 OD) so I'm thinking I would benefit from larger bars but, crap, I'm hesitant!

Keep the shiny side up, thanks Rapom.