---snip---1. If I import the private keys from my old, now-empty Bitcoin wallet into the new Bcash wallet, does this mean that the my new Bcash wallet will have the old BTC addresses, which are now empty?
They will be the same addresses. On the Bitcoin network and in a Bitcoin wallet, they will be empty. On the Bcash network and for Bcash wallets, they will still have the same balance that they had around 14:00 UTC.
2. If someone were to send me BTC to my old BTC address, I could still use my old wallet to retrieve those coins, right?
Yes, you should in that case open the wallet in Bitcoin wallet software again. A Bcash wallet won't see those transactions.
I recommend phasing out your old addresses, since I don't trust the security of Bcash wallets that you'll be giving your private keys to. If it would be difficult to phase out your old addresses, then I don't particularly recommend using this method of claiming your BCH.
Other methods that don't involve giving your private keys to a Bcash wallet will become available in the coming weeks.
---snip--- I partially quoted theymos' post and have questions related to these two responses.
since they are going on their own chain,
does anyone know which web based blockchain explorer I can check for Bcash chain?
I am hoping the part where you saying
'Other methods that don't involve giving your private keys to a Bcash wallet will become available in the coming weeks.'
would soon come.
but is that even possible? or do you mean a way of making our own compatible raw signed trasaction for bcash
just like we used to be able to do the same for btc using brainwalet.github and pushing it to the network
I think if someone could write the code (js style like brainwalet) that would really help a lot of us
and of course we need a willing node to push the tx and bradcast it.