I forewent the fwd/rev switch because it.s a threaded spindle. I never ran my South Bend in reverse so I have no reason to believe that I'd run the Clausing in reverse.
I really wouldn't want a lathe I couldn't run in reverse David. I'm surprised that you never ran in reverse before, but I confess you give me pause to think about it.
Without reverse on an Imperial lathe, it is difficult (if not impossible) to reverse thread, cut metric threads, part in reverse, work on the backside, etc etc
I would urge you to review the thread lock options and carefully reconsider this feature.
Also, @Darren 's accident happened in forward when the braking forces (cold oil, etc) and centrifugal forces exceeded the threading torque. That could sneak up and bite anyone. I think a thread lock is almost mandatory on lathes with threaded spindles.