318 LA rebuild after losing a valve seat

Hey... we all start out of the womb with the exact same knowledge base.... ZERO! We've all BTDT.

My personal decision on those springs would to break-in with them. Others may have a different thought, and that is all good too. I get about 255 lbs pressure over the nose, BTW, assuming a 1.650" installed height.

Now one more thought on the spring change: My stuff is always ready to fire off with a few cranks, and run and get oil to the cam immediately. So I feel confident. If you are not confident that will happen, then the softer springs may give you some grace in a startup process that is plagued by starts and stops. Are you putting in a new carb or using one that ran before? Same question on the ignition system. New engine with new carb and/or ignition is a recipe for startup difficulties.