What does the By port connect to today? Lee john is correct if the is an open center system then the By port must be connected to something to operate correctly.
My guess is it is connected to the Power beyond at the front end loader. Difficult to say for sure as I don't have the hydraulic diagrams.
Just so I am clear in what I am trying to do...I want to remove the end cover assembly (in red circle) and replace it with a custom aluminium manifold and bolt a solenoid valve on it.
It wouldn't be easy to directly connect to the By port on its own as you can see in the attached image.

Cheers,
John