A123 M1 Cells from Dewalt 36v packs

How hard to do you suppose it would be to remove the battery bars from the cells. You guys have me really curious about these A123s. I just got a 7XL to run in a buggy conversion that I am doing and lipo has me kind of worried because racing can get kind of rough. I'm even considering going back to nimh for running at the track.

I want to use the cells in power tubes. One in a 3S2P configuration and the other in a 2S2P configuration for a total of 5S. I think that my Mamba Max ESC can handle that and the A123s should be much safer than lipo too. I figure I could have a complete set for about $140, if I use cells from a dewalt pack.