Question On Vintage Trem Route Pattern

[stratoskier]

Hi,

I have a project in which I am installing a vintage style, 6-screw trem (Wilkinson 5+1) on a generic strat body. After installing, I found that the front edge of the trem block was butted tightly against the forward part of the trem cavity (no clearance), thus preventing the trem from operating properly. It appears that I need to enlarge the cavity slightly by removing ~1/8" of wood from the top of the guitar along the front edge of the cavity. The scale is correct, so it is not a case of needing to move the trem further away from the neck.

Here's my question. On a vintage trem route, there is a small "shelf" of wood along the front edge of the cavity. That is, the cavity is smaller on the face of the guitar, and then gets bigger as it gets deeper into the body. I assume that the primary purpose of this is to leave more wood behind the 6 mounting screws. Would it be risky to remove this little shelf of wood (about 1/8" by 3" long) along the front of the trem route? After removing this area, I would still have about 1/2" between the trem mounting screws and the leading edge of the trem cavity.

Hopefully, someone will understand what I am trying to describe here. I appreciate your advice.

Cheers,

Bert