I'm so glad to hear you're doing a Classic Edition 2.0. It was just on a whim that I popped into the non-SW forum today, and when I saw this thread, I figured I'd see what you you were up to lately.
If there's anyone with the experience to combine the 2004 DVDs and the GOUT, it's you. Why haven't you announced this in the SW preservation forum?
You mentioned that you're fixing the hallway in the detention block shootout. I understand your purist tendencies, but I think this is one of those very minor changes that you should keep. To me it's equivalent to fixing matte lines.
And are you still going the same route with the '93/mono soundtrack? I'm sure you're aware of Belbucus' ongoing restoration of the mono mix, but I don't know if you want to wait for that. Would you ever consider using the '97 mix as your base soundtrack? Lately I've heard several people around here say that the '97 mix was a "recreation" of sorts of the original mono mix, using many of the same elements.