Alright, so, using the incredibly helpful Medic PDF guide, I was able to successfully remove the entire display module from the MacBook. The only little caveat is the AirPort. The antenna is actually wired through outer left edge (looking at the screen) of the display module. So I took that apart, cut off the portion of the metal housing that the antenna was soldered to and rewired it through the empty hole where the hinge was previously. (See image below) This seemed to work just fine.

In any case, with the external display hooked up, it's working great! Thanks for all the help!