Finally, some real progress...
I really had to remove alot of material on the steering servo to resolve the clearance problem. It sits almost flush with the bottom of the windshield now, and the top right screw is not even used anymore.
For the crystal problem, I removed the upper plastic section and flipped the board over. It is held in place nicely when the front crossbrace is installed, and sits much lower in the chassis now.
Here's the problem section up close...
And the result:
All is not good, though, as the steering servo is now not moving at all. I think either some loose plastic filings are floating around inside or else I put it together wrong. Minor issue at this point.
Still need to resolve the front suspension issue. I'm thinking cut springs is the way I'll be going. In the pic, there are no springs in the front at all. It's sitting on the "bumpstops".