First mopar intake swap.

cutting the pins is an option, but removing them is better (no chance of shavings making it down into the block)
so i would suggest getting a pair of vise grips on them, or perhaps applying some heat

sounds like you know what to do with the china walls


one more thing to keep in mind, the aftermarket intakes dont always play nice with the valve covers
on my duster, i cut back the intake, so i know all valve covers will work, but some people clearance the covers instead (and some, dont have any issues)

here is a random pic i found showing the issue area