Stop in for a cup of coffee

IIRC the inner fender wells are part of the vehicle structure - once removed you will need to reinforce the front of the car - mine has a full roll cage in it
Pretty much everything in them is 'Structure' Its the combination of parts and bends and crappy little welds that these bodies are made of. Even the 'frame rails' are just heavy sheet metal channels. without being welded onto body panels they lose a lot of strength. so yes, any part you take out will need something else making up for it.