1) two half links at a time
2) the original chain was 1/8"
3) you're mistaken or they only have the most expensive pintle chains available at the moment
4) I really like the SRAM PC-1, but I also use the KMC 1/8" drive SS chains

And, yeah, once you pop that rivet all the way out it's so frustrating I just abandon it and use that chain as a donor in the future.