I had to replace the pad on my enfiel a couple of years ago. I had to buy an oversize one install it and mark what had to come off to make it fit. I used a belt sander to take off the excess. I bought the pad from midway-usa. I went with a 1" pad and really like it. For coatings it depends on the look you like and how much effort you want to spend. For a traditional look you really can't go wrong with tung oil or BLOicon (boiled linseed oil). They are easily applied and you rub on some new if you scratch the stock latter on. I use BLOicon since I have several old and antique military arms.
john