Well Shawn, I've been looking at pics of the Ve8 and I have to say I don't care for the setup at all. Bad idea putting the motor and batts on the same side like that. I can't see how you'd ever balance out the weight like that.
I do however think you can move some stuff around and get good results.
Just thinking out loud here...
Ditch the radio box and mechanical brakes&servo. Keep the steering servo where it is, or maybe fit in a lay down style mount? You should see if there's a lay down style mount made just for the Ve8 (homework, don't buy anything yet). Without the Esc, receiver box, and brake stuff on that side you'd have plenty of room for a big battery tray and the weight balance would be better having the batts opposite diagonally from the motor.
Where the batts are now could be used for the Mamba XL.
See where I'm going with this idea?