Originally Posted by
merziac
I would not butcher that original Record, crappy though they may be, you don't really ever want to have to look for a good one if you need it.
The nice thing about the proposed Shimano cage swap is that it does not involve modifying the original Record derailleur, just some slight modifications to the Shimano cage. Keep the original Record pulley cage, and restoring the derailleur to its original state is just a cage-swap away.