I know this is a moot point since this is all done but all I did was heat up the joint, (heat gun for that), pulled the tubes out, cut out the pieces/lengths I needed, and then soldered them back in. Never did it b4 and worked like a charm....:shrug:
On the other hand put 'Ventilation holes' in it trying to rivet a shroud to the sides. (DONT DO THAT!)

I will now use velcro (tried with my new 'dummy') and that will support the shroud and 2 fans just fine. Ordered a 2-342 (see my posts) which turns out to be even more perfect for my setup (gotta get digicam and pictures after I am done making this concoction of mine). Will see how fast that gets here and how it all fits together.