Here's how the story ends. Maybe this info will help someone else.

I decided to leave the broken guide in place and it seems fine. I would have changed it if the chain was loose but it had no slack and there is practically no wear in the drivers side guide material so I just left it.

Replaced the HG and set the valves cold at 8 and 12 thousandths per the fsm. They were quite noisy at this setting. After a cpl hundred miles, reset at 7/11 cold and it runs much quieter. The #4 exh tappet screw makes a noticeably louder 'tick' compared to other valves when it is pressed against the valve stem by hand. Not sure why this is but it explains some of the overly loud ticking sounds.

The head bolts near the firewall were really tough to get out. It took a really long breaker bar and lots of force to remove them. Luckily none broke.

Head was surfaced and freshened at a local engine shop. Saved some money by reusing the head.

Used an EB DNJ gasket kit plus new head bolts. That kit doesn't contain all the gaskets needed. Specifically, the Heater tube O-ring that fits in the lower intake, under the thermostat housing, and the pair and exh air injection gaskets. I also bought new washers for the fuel rail and cold start banjos.

All 5 injectors were serviced by witchhunter. The 'before' flows were decent. The fresh orings and other soft parts added peace of mind there wouldn't be any leaks.

Setting ignition timing was an issue. The TPS IDL/E2 wasn't working, and check mode would not engage. Jumpering the bottom two pins on the tps connector worked around this problem.

There was a sideshow to go along with this project. The fuel supply line from tank to the firewall rusted out and sprayed gas everywhere just as I was getting ready to test fire the engine. I am not interested in messing around with fuel inside an attached garage, so farmed this work out to a local shop. They replaced the tank bracket plus all the steel fuel and brake lines with oem replacements - a large and messy job but the sort of work I don't mind paying for since it affects safety.

This was my first hg job and I did learn a lot doing this project. The biggest hurdle is simply the learning curve and not knowing really what to do. Some of the lower intake plumbing is mysterious at first. Overall, it's doable by a beginner. I could probably do it again over a long weekend.