Are you getting a Stearman or the new Curtis Hawk? The Stearman needed the added nose weight even with the OS 120. The book for the Hawk says that added nose weight is only needed with engines at the lower end of the power recommendation. But time will tell.

The G-26 carb will definitely stick out one side and the muffler will stick out the other.

Not so on the Stearman. The round cowl hides a lot of stuff.