I also did some Dremel grinding to flatten out a couple of manufacturing flaws on the header's mating surface, followed by some wet sanding with 180 grit on a small piece of bathroom tile to further flush the header surface. I rounded it out with some 400 grit, and now it looks to be an even surface.
I cracked the case yesterday and installed new bearings and seals. Next is to case match to the ports on the TCCD 50 kit.