And removing that mfg operation might have been a cost reduction proposal with an employee suggestion plan. We have seen that a lot in the big factory.
I seem to recall that the later smaller port head actually ended up makin mo' power than the big port model. You would be better off changing the intake to the later style to match the head. The ear
I didn't ask the critical question "is the head ported" but it sounds like it isn't. You don't need to machine the head further, a die grinder is an easy way to match the edges. As long as you don't