Tight upright DC installations

[J Patrick Draine]

Dear List:
I am interested in the list's wisdom regarding DC installations in 
Yamaha U1s and Steinway uprights.
Yamaha U1: the kick board is rather tight, with insufficient space at 
the top for the fill tube. What do you do? File away some material 
with a rasp file or a drum sander? Recommendations from those who do 
a lot of these would be appreciated.
Steinway uprights: The system for the tight kick board cavity (large 
pedal levers etc.) calls for a hole being drilled through the 
soundboard for the electric plug wires (and maybe fill tubes?). It's 
my customers with nearly new, highly unstable St. uprights who need 
them, but they're also the ones who would freak out if I took a drill 
to their soundboard (nightmare visions of potential lawsuits), have 
"Steinway friends" who "inform" them that DamppChasers will ruin 
their precious status symbols, etc. What do you do? I suggested 
drilling through the trap work board at a DC class at a PTG seminar, 
and the rep indicated "yeah that could work too".

TIA,
Patrick Draine