Today I finally got the courage to install it, and it was a pretty seamless procedure. The geometry of the new leadpipe doesn’t adhere to the bell, so I will probably need to put in a small diamond brace or just let it “float.” It is soldered to an inner bow (like the original one) and pretty stable. I had to expand the large end ever so slightly, and the existing receiver-to-bell brace didn’t fit anymore, so I have an ugly stopgap one in place made out of a bent trumpet brace that will at least do the job until I find an alternative (which will likely mean just trimming the original one down with a dremel tool).
Taking the old one off, there was quite a bit of red rot and a patch, so it seems to have been the right choice.
Also rolled out the bell and addressed a few pings and dings that had been bugging me.
Behold:
