I know some of you have removed and replaced the tall post on the door locks. My question is on the original post how far does the rod come to the very top of the post. Reason- I am thinking about cutting the post off at the taper and putting a black rubber cap on them.

 

If you are going to cut them, remove the plastic knob and then have the rod in the locked postion. Then mark the rod where you feel you need it, unlock the rod, and cut.