I don't want to speak for anyone but.... I think that Dick and I are pretty similar in that we'll go to extreme measures to get the weight out. Including; lightening of the airframe (removing wood), rebuilding lighter constructed tail surfaces (sheeting over foam or hand selected balsa), lighter ailerons, smaller/lighter hardware, lighter gear, less servo's.
A couple of possibilities for you might be to move the elevator servo's up under the canopy with carbon pushrods, or better yet, pull-pull. On my 1/4 Cap's I used an MK bellcrank for elevator with 1 servo driving it, a 9304 on 6V. Get the lightest tailwheel possible. Remember 1oz in the tail equals 3-4oz in the nose to balance. I've even skeletonized the ribs in the tail to get it lighter. Definitely get the battery pack in the nose.
Look for one of Dick's construction photo's or the Troy Built Models Extra build to see lightening in action. I built the entire front half of a H9 Cap out of carbon and made a flat plate (Q400 style) motor mount just so that I could get a Moki 2.1 in there without a weight penalty or CG change. (It helps when terra firma removes the nose for you to begin with).

Chris