Also, it's unclear if we will be able to alter the initial timing to 18* or more while keeping the total limited to 34-36*; or if the motor even still wants that timing that worked well with the carb.
Please elaborate more on the timing? If your asking weather you can move the idle timing to 18* or not the answer is yes. The computer has inputs to set idle timing target and total timing all in by *** RPM.