...Hangar 9 cherokee-calls for up to a .56 4-stroke and I'm trying to use a .61 2 stroke.
I'm gonna go against the grain here and ask why you are trying to put a .61 in a .40 size plane of this type? The torque and extra weight of using a .61 is likely to hurt the overall performance of that plane. Even if you shift the battery you will still likely have to add tail weight and the plane is probably gonna weigh 1/2 pound more than it would with a good ball bearing .46.