Hey Buck, I was just thinking about sending you a PM to see how things were coming along...
Have a look at the following photo for the valve orientation. The blue line leads to the engine, and the yellow line leads to a check valve which plugs into my external start-up fuel source. Normally, that would plug into a 'Y' fitting to the check valve and on-board tank.
As for removing the valve, its not recommended, but yes its possible. The ECU drives the valve, but doesn't sense its presence...
The operation of the solenoid valve is rather simple as it isn't pulse width modulated: it starts the flow when the engine start has been initiated, then shuts it off around 30-32K RPM in the ramp sequence. If you followed those same start and end points, it 'should' work. I'd still recommend leaving it in though...
If you still decide to removed after start-up, just make sure there's a check valve there to keep the case pressure from venting.
Kelly