TMD template splash removal

Is there a way to remove splash.php (included in a TMD template) in a manner that sends site visitors (members  AND nonmembers) to the page that the shipped Dolphin version normally sends visitors to?  e.g.   www.website.com  instead of www.website.com/splash.php?  

already tried the following to no avail:

1. 301 redirect to index.php 

2. renaming index.php  to splash.php

3. adding the following entry to HTACCESS:            RewriteRule ^/{0,1}$ splash.php? [QSA,L] 

4. editing line 120 of  design.inc.php as follows:

  /* MODIFIED Deanos Redirect Guests to splash.php - Code Add - Start */
/* NOTE: If this is a dolphin page that uses the dolphin template system then this */
/* may cause a loop. */
if ($_page['header'] != 'Join') {
  header('Location: ' . BX_DOL_URL_ROOT . 'index.php');
}
/* MODIFIED Deanos Redirect Guests to splash.php - Code Add - End */

 have you written the author of the template? 

should be a relatively easy fix, gorpus would have an answer for this as well, though i havent seen him around in some time. deano would know the answer, but i would probe the template author first, and see what they have to say. 

all else fails, on that file, which i presume you can write to, set a jscript timed redirect let or delete the frigging splash.php file, but surely dont rename your index.php to accomodate the splash page.

The template author will only help if I transfer my site to their system.  Really didn't think it would be such a big deal to change the template.

Deleting splash.php causes Dolphin to display "page not found".

 Why timed redirect as opposed to a standard 301 redirect?  How much time should be allowed?