Ever re-homed iMac components into another case, without the display?

So, the display cable was cut on the last repair (I'll never be lazy and send things out again), and now I am thinking who needs it, and the aluminum case all the components are in… is it possible to re-home the components into something else, sans the display?

The first question is, will the machine boot without the display attached to the cable? If not, can that be bypassed with a shunt or keystroke? Then, has anyone seen any plans for an alternative case, assuming there is a boot solution. Thx!!!