
Last "helpful" suggestion. Given the height you've got in the front compared to the Bulldog is there space to use (for example) a T34 & KV gear box - ie a mismatched pair? It's the motors that interfere, but would some separation give you marginally more room to narrow the hull?
I'm full of useful(less) ideas, and at some point I'll hopefully be good enough to actually try some of them.....