I've had the 65mm SA for a while now but due to downright dreary weather conditions I have managed only a couple of outings with the Crown. But for the benefit of others who might find this thread, I can now answer my own questions with some detail.
1. Lens position. This works exactly as I hoped: I can lock the front standard on the front end of the inner rails (clearing the hinges completely) and the focussing mechanism provides ample travel from infinity to near distances. The bed does not intrude the frame in the dropped position. Lens is on a flat board.
Since the front standard sits inside the camera body in this configuration, only about half a centimetre of rise is possible – perhaps a bit more if you remove the wire frame viewfinder from the front standard. The lens only covers 4x5 straight on at f/22 but you can use that little bit of rise with roll film backs or 9x12 cm sheet film.
2. Focussing at f/8 is not so great but is doable in decent light. I intend to mark the rails so I could set the camera roughly at the hyperfocal distance without squinting at the ground glass.
3. My sample of the 65/8 SA (Compur 00, 49mm filter thread – not sure if different variants were made) can be safely folded inside the Crown Graphic. Very practical.
The biggest annoyance so far is the 00 shutter with its tiny controls and no built-in facility to keep it open for focussing.
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