One thing I like about Hagerty is the cherished auto rider, 40 bucks extra a year. With the rider, if my car gets totaled, I get the agreed upon payout AND I get to keep the car.
I actually prefer a ball too, but went with the pistol grip because it is by far cooler than a ball, and I don't really want to discuss with everyone why my car doesn't have a pistol grip. I did go with a tuff wheel which was not an option for an E-body.
In my case, I had a LD340 intake with a Mopar part number on it and I really didn't want to modify it, hence the bung welded on the bypass outlet pipe.
I don’t think you have anything to gain cleaning it up. Purists will redo anything you have done. Others will just wire brush it and hit it with a rattle can.