That should be a good thing right? I am betting that some careful use of a dremel cutoff wheel will have that strap and mount taken off in no time. I would slice off the mount, then gently cut while peeling off the strap so as not to cut into the tubing underneath.Once the strap is off, clean up any remaining weld then start over with a new mount and new strap like nothing ever happened. In the end I think you will have more confidence this way, and it will go a lot faster than you think. Since you are not touching the base cluster, I am very doubtful that there will be any distortion. Good Luck!