finally it looks like V-8 time

I'm pretty sure unless there are really convincing posts to the contrary, I'll use the 318. a few questions I have are:
1 is it worth it to go looking for the swirl port heads, and what year did they start?
2 should I look into Dakota exhaust manifolds?
3 If I go with the Dakota 5 speed how easy is it to put into my Dart?
4 if I wait a bit to gather parts (5 speed) is a 360 a better option? the 360 needs a special converter to fit the A904 trans.
5 if I were to consider a 360 now, how easy is it to find a torque converter to fit my cable shift A904 torqueflyte?
6 are there any other questions I should be asking?