Thread rating modifications

[SpilltheBeans]

I would like to modify the thread rating feature somewhat. If anyone is familiar with the code, I'd appreciate any help. Here's what I'm trying to do:

1. Remove the thread rating drop-down from showthread.php
2. Move the thread rating drop-down in newthread.php/newreply.php to the top to make it more prominent.
3. Require users to chose a rating on submit. If the user doesn't rate a thread, an error message is given.

How difficult would this be? Is 1 and 2 just template changes? Any advice is helpful.