I should try the target mode (need the cable). Installer froze on me before I could format the new drive.
The internal DVD could certainly be part of the issue so any way to bypass it would help diagnose that. It is noisy (but they frequently are). What kills me is this mac does different things on different start ups. It would boot to Safe mode, now it won't. Won't boot to recovery mode. Sometimes it goes to a double cursor -- one frozen and one moving, sometime the second one is a beachball... etc.
Maybe I get the same model and keep this one for parts. The case is crazy clean and the display seems flawless.
In my search for options, I found lots of case mods like wood veneers (and matching wooden or bamboo keyboards), maybe I will do one of those on the grey iMac.
Thanks again for all the suggestions and info 
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