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My old 09D COPO is body number 108154.  It was final assembled on 9/26/69

When was your Z built (month/year)?  Spoilers were standard after April 69? on Z28 models.  D80 on the data plate? My COPO was a non-spoiler car originally.  Front/rear spoilers added by 1971.  The guy that added them installed the spoiler support rods on the front so it had a hole in the front subframe.

weeks 36 and 37 for an 09D

I can't find the specific one back that I used, but I do recall it wasn't the exact box I had.  Saginaw's design, rebuild, adjustment for manual boxes were similar across multiple applications.

I rebuilt my manual steering box and adjusted it out of the car to get it close then made small final adjustment after re-install.  It's really important to get it "centered" in the travel. 
Out of the car the force required to rotate the input should noticeably get higher when you approach the center of travel, with the highest resistance at dead center of travel.  Once back in the car, I loosed the nut and adjusted the bolt just slightly to stiffen it up to my liking.  Since you're not sure how it got loose, I would pull it and try to reset it on the bench, then re-install and see if it got better. There are some good Youtube videos on rebuilding and setting these Saginaw units.

I believe that is correct.  When I stripped my low mile fender washers, you could see the pattern of black dip-painting....one spot had thick paint that virtually filled the edge of the recess on each one

As far as I know, all originals were upside down (weak) and on lower LH side as viewed from the front of the car.

Great story, congrats on filling in the gaps!

Curious about the block pad....I thought those were masked to not hide the stamping with paint or is that only when the VIN is on the pad?

Maybe they had a special tool to install the push in style - based on my experience, the giant PITA of getting the push-in style installed would be enough reason to change to bolt-in style.  Bolt in add complexity, but if it reduces time, it might have driven a change.

Mine is an X44 COPO BE rear.

Just a pure speculative theory on this topic.  We have the change document that notes the move to bolt in style.  For late build cars (past normal production end date of July time frame), they may have received old style or a mix due to limited availability of new style bolt in.  I wonder what the design is of the 1970 Camaro snubber.....same bolt in, different bolt in, or push in?

My 09D (late) Norwood has the holes for the screw in style but had a push in style installed when I took it apart for restoration.  Every bumper on the car was original when I took it apart.  This one ws one of the few on the car I couldn't save - it was rock hard and had to be destroyed to get it out.

I found similar markings on my 15,000 mile car.  Mine had 2 inspection tags on the heater box and had similar grease pencil number.  My understanding is the handwritten number is an assembly sequence number.  Mine had a "3" and I found the same "3" on top off my gas tank.  I did not find any yellow tape.  Steering column and gauge cluster tags are the "norm" for identifying applications for those components. 
Sounds like you have a really cool Z - post some pics!

Great way to create suspense and anticipation Joe!  I, for one, am looking forward to the pics!

no, plain hole.  Appears to be punched and has the same finish as the surface.  Definitely doesn't look like anything has ever been in there.  Here's a closer pic.