Those are some nice ideas to improve your pace without taking very much extra risk Shane.
Another idea you might want to try along the way is to do different things with each of your 4 men. So, for example, go ahead with your plan and add your four pace improvements as listed. But, if you happen to make it to the end of Level 6 on your first man, go ahead and continue grabbing the bottom hammer on Level 7 barrel boards. Continue doing this until your first death, then immediately switch to a top hammer only strategy. Perhaps after two deaths, go ahead and eliminate improvement number 4 so that you have maximum comfort on elevator screens. Maybe after the third death go ahead and skip the top hammer on barrels, although that would hurt your pace pretty significantly -- perhaps just begin taking it at the first available opportunity and don't worry at all about maximizing your value with the top hammer once you're on your last man.
I have found that this sort of approach can provide for an unexpected high scoring game if you really get in the zone on your first man, and it provides a way of immediately making things easier upon dying -- the point at which most of us get a bit mentally rattled -- in order to help prevent that "back to back deaths" syndrome and to keep your confidence high.
Try it both ways and see what you think.
