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@hugo7
Might be a bit late to comment, but here are my thoughts/experiences;
1/ I've had two bikes with round blade forks. One was a light(ish) '60s Mercian 531 path/track, the other is a beastly strong 'proper' track fork that weighed a ton. Both were drilled, however I given the shape of fork#2 I think it was drilled after-the-event. However, the crown is clearly very tough so it would never cause me concern.
Neither gave me any problem with braking. My understanding is round forks affect comfort rather than braking strength - but that is based on internet reading.
2/ Tight clearance - run a thinner tyre just in case, if you're rocking a full on track bike then comfort's not your greatest concern, and it sounds like you want it to look authentic. Personally I think you should get tubs as they'll be more authentic and a little smaller.
The other thing that hasn't been suggested is popping a ball bearing in the dropouts of the front fork to effectively move the whole wheel down a little bit. (It's been discussed to death, if you search you'll find info on it, and if done properly it shouldn't cause safety concerns.)
3/ Dia compe systems - In photos they look a bit shit, but in real life on a bike they're really not noticeable. Seriously - you will be surprised!