Spraying carb. cleaner around the intake will help isolate a vacuum leak. The leak will suck the carb cleaner in and either cause the engine to stumble or rev up.
Also, check the operation of the split port mechanism. If it is carboned up or inop, your car won't be able to breathe under heavy throttle, high RPM operation.
Draining the radiator will remove enough coolant from the system to drain the cylinder head, so you won't have to worry about coolant in the cylinders unless you are removing the head.
The 1.9L and 2.0L engines were designed before Ford decided it was cheaper to design special tools to time engines rather than put timing marks (and keyways) on them. Line the marks up on the crank and cam, put the belt on, and fire it up!