Where are you in Michigan? We have a group that flies here in Flint. There's also a group that flies in Lansing as well as the Detroit area.
What plane are you rebuilding? Sounds like either a combat style plane with a foam wing or a 1/2A.
In any case you don't need to make it easier to replace the leadouts if you are using good leadouts in the first place. Solids are good but I use wire on all my planes.

Hope to see you around this summer.

Jay