At the recommendation of Shawn N, I had an EXCELLENT conversation with Jack Laswell this morning. Wow does this guy know stuff. Articulate, knowledgeable, and beyond helpful. Above all else, he at no point tried to sell me on his services despite my offer to pretty much give him my business. So you can add integrity to the list as well.
I'll try to quickly annotate everything we discussed as it's exactly the more nuanced information that you don't always get from a manual: (Sorry if I'm regurgitating common information.)
Head Bolt Installation: When using the ARP 9441's do not use the included bolt lubricant, but do use Permatex thread sealer by applying a thin coat entirely to the threads of bolt, inside of hole, and above/below the washer (under the head of the bolt). Torque bolts in sequence in 15lbs increments up to 75lbs. Let sit overnight, then back off a quarter turn. Then re-tighten to 75lbs for the bottom bolts and 80lbs for the top. (He said the torque difference is to help the gasket blow out instead of in, in the case of future issues.)
General Re-surfacing of the Heads: He actually shied away from resurfacing the heads without there explicitly being an issue; although, I told him I need a more experienced set of eyes on these to feel more comfortable about the condition. He noted head bolts holes around #s 5 & 6 are the most prone to cracking (per T-typinator as well), so pay close attention to them. He recommended Kim Barr Racing to do the machining work, which is nice since I've used Kim in the past. He also said that the Fel-Pro head gasket was a good choice, but to advise Kim to apply a resurfacing finish in accordance with a Cometic gasket. I believe this had something to do with potential future upgrades.
Plastic Timing Gear: He noted that these can fail at any time, and if the engine is half way disassembled - might as well replace this with its metal roller equivalent for safety. This was new to me.
ZDD+: He informed me that there is also an equivalent of this sold as Lucas Oil Engine Break-in Additive.
Just thought I'd share real quick I'll try to snap some photos fairly soon.