Looks like that'll be a nice setup when you're done.

Ken has the diagram numbers correct above

As far as I can see, the outlet on the back of the head (and the hose circled in red below) is only there for the two thermo switches and to feed the heater core. If you don't need any of these I'd say you could plate off the back of the head and the pipe out of the thermstat housing.

The blue arrow shows the water flow through the bypass while the thermostat is closed (so there is some flow past the thermostat), the red arrow shosw the main flow from the radiator bottom hose when the thermostat opens.



Hen