Keep that. It deflects heat from whatever air/fuel device you put on there. It's not disposable. You can trim it later, but it is a friend.
My Sniper doesn't mind it. Lots of heat coming off the manifold.
Emissions requirements suck, but assume Toyota engineers knew what they were doing. Take some time to understand what each part does and why.
Know that your advance curve on your timing will not be happy with desmogging. You will also have to account for high altitude adjustments.
These were the last Toyotas to come to the US with carbs. Toyota spent millions to make these trucks better then their redecessors while bowing to the suits in Congress. It has the most amazing carb ever and the best distributor you can get. Both of those are going to need modifications to make your 2F happy again. Everything you need to know is right here on MUD. It's a tractor motor they said

It is... Hope you like grease under your nails.