Dan you are a fountain of knowledge! I thank you for sharing all of your insight. I'm a novice hobbiest and a young guy so I didn't grow up tinkering with these old A bodies.
Dutra Duals are fantastic, but not strictly necessary. Factory Super Six setup was 2ΒΌ" headpipe into the same muffler as used with a 318, and a 1-7/8" tailpipe. But if you need to spread out the spending, you can carry on with the stock 1bbl exhaust system without doing any damage, until you can afford to put together the exhaust system you want to wind up with.
As for the kick down, I'm thinking the Bouchillon kit may be the best alternative.
