No worries, and glad I caught your post. Yes, you can easily remove them using a 1/8" drill bit. You just drill right through that rivet from the outside and it'll pop right out. Once you do that, you will need to trim the ABS parts with the holes off, then glue the smaller belt part over the main belt part. I think you'll have plenty of room. Below are pics of how I did my Shadow Scout (my classic scout is a KS kit with a 1-piece belt).
This is my shadow scout belt. You can see the belt ends just past my sides, and then the webbing takes over for the TD.