Thanks @Brooklyn_pro for the shout out. Glad my work helped. In principle you did what I did. Only difference is that in case for some reason there was an issue with removing the fan later, I actually didn’t gut the stock fan. I bought a super cheap replacement that was the same physical size but didn’t have PWM control or speed sensing so it was only like $6. I gutted this one and retained the factory fan in a drawer if I ever needed it since it’s a more expensive fan to replace.
For others, if you don’t have a Pro with this finned cooler, this fan gutting step isn’t needed. It’s needed if you have the cooler to make sure the air leaving the case is forced through the cooler. If you remove it, a lot of the exhaust air will go around the cooler as the path of least resistance and limit the cooling capability of the system.