Appreciate the info. I was wondering because all the photos I've seen show the holes in the centre, glad to hear mines not unique.
I was thinking similar ideas, end mill the whole way thru, end mill to start and follow with drill, or make a thick steel guide plate to bolt to the deck with the holes in the right spot to guide the drill. All of which have their pros and cons but seem like much more effort than they're worth.
Glad to get both your input, think I'll leave the block (and maybe just drill out the head while I do some other work to it). I've got an enlarged sump with an outlet on the intake side above the windage tray. I'm going to run this to the catch can as a crankcase breather as you've suggested GTSBoy.