Card cage stability question

[ChristofferB]

Hey!
So I'm in the process of making a card cage, with card-edge connectors for a vintage computer system, "Motorola Exorciser".

I have the pcb rails, the little ejector ears, and the connectors, but I'll have to saw off one end of the card edge connectors to make one larger - 3.96mm pitch card-edge connectors that big are pricy!

-Question is, they'll receive a lot of force, so how should they be mounted to the backplane?
-I can't just use the holes, well I can, but they'll have no support in the center.
-Cut pin slits in acryllic and screw/epoxy them on?
-Just solder them to a pcb, everything will be good?

I don't know exactly how much strain there'll be. I know the most professional thing would be to buy some proper connectors, but that's not really an option.

Has anyone designed a card cage like this? They aren't that common anymore.

Thanks in advance!

--Christoffer