Yes normally you don't want to be altering the length of the names but it can be done. I don't know what hex editor you use but I use XVI32 and in the edit section it is possible to rename things to a different length. I normally avoid that as it is too easy to make mistakes. That is one reason why I always keep at least one other POTC install around for a backup. I currently have 3.
I have not started on the brigroyal yet but will soon.
Yes - same editor (since I picked it up on the forum when I started to get back into such things). I did change the lengths and fitted the resultant string into the available space. However I was trying hex (A-F) numbering too so that might have been the culprit. Either way it was the engine that reported a corrupt model (or whatever phrase it used in system.log) and the game crashed when you left the ship because it needed an external view (it seemed to allow you on deck OK) - so I worked round that for now by matching the lengths without hexadecimal. Having passed on something working I may well go back to breaking it again at my end to see if I can fool with it.
For future reference when you do start can you tell me if the former fal on rey_A6 shows up as a rope (ie does hexediting produce a usable result) - I wouldn't have a clue where to look so don't know if that worked or if the extra visible ropes are just former fals that were in the tool editable GM files.