@hethspd
As the MMTool 5.x reports successful insertion of the Small variant, regarding volume space (besides the pad error) i would be using the UEFI_tool0.28 to insert the same variant.
Or if you wish to use the standard variants, you may try the method of removing unnecessary drivers, related to UEFI DXE network boot drivers.
Im not providing any files here, because it seems you’re a capable user and fully understands the processes, give it a try and ensure you have backups and recovery methods, good luck.
EDIT: I made another test with older MMTool 4.x and the insertion of the small variant is also OK with original Pad still present, so plenty to choose.
