I'll say I'm glad to have found this forum. I came in at the tail-end of the SS conversion and wasn't pleased. So, glad you're over here now too.
Anyway, having just done the clutch in my car I can say that the starter isn't going to be TOO bad but it won't be fun. Easiest access is, by far, from the top of the engine. One 18mm bolt that goes through the gearbox, one nut on the back side of the starter (the size escapes me) and then the wires. My car had a wire that ran to the battery and one that ran to the alternator thus locking the starter into its original position via cables. The battery end comes off at the terminal block on the back of the battery box, as I recall. Also, the bracket for the speedometer output is bolted to the starter. It shouldn't give you much trouble, but be mindful of it. I nearly yanked it apart. Thankfully, mine had a rather large piece of disintegrated clutch disk and a healthy dose of powder from said disk so a good cleaning brought it back into line.