I have a question regarding the area on the firewall around the steering column. I have smoothed the rest and will switching from a column shifter to a 5 speed so I thought I would make the hole where the steering column comes through smaller. Around the current hole, there is a metal piece that is screwed in. I'm assuming for support. Is there any issue with taking that piece off and just welding in some sheet metal to make it look cleaner? Once the hole is drilled, would I be better off putting a round piece on an angle to guide the column through (hope that makes sense), or just leave it as a flat hole? Here's a pic that shows the area I'm talking about.
