im a sparky but i wouldnt chop wires thats y i bought the piaa kit in the end its up to you guys in the end but unless u no for sure that the resistor is the right size u gota be careful, if you put too much resistance on the circuit the cable could start to degrade because of the heat and the cable size. rather than chopping the cables have a look for sum cable splizing kits i will try and find you a link for sum they basically allow you to connect stuff into the circuit but are removable and keeps you away from cutting the cables full stop. plus they are pennys i think.
moley the clear plastic bit is the bit that comes off you gota keep trying different angles, trust me i did it fine without leaving a mark and ive taken it off like three times now.