RE: another darn ryobi post (ryobi performance modification, analysis and comparison)
Those were linked pictures from Facebook I think? Apparently he changed his Facebook account?
But the technique of removing some metal from the back of the crankcase to place the back plate as close to the crankshaft as possible is a old trick used for many years.
On engines without the reed valve in the back plate some have added metal to the back plate to make it extend farther into the crankcase and therefore reducing crankcase volume.