I dont think there is anything under the hood that is useless. If the a.c. system no longer works, you could delete the rubber hoses, the compressor, and the condenser. Other than that, everything has a purpose and gets used. I have five 2nd gen Escorts for daily drivers in my family, and they are all stock under the hood. Its against federal and state law to delete any of the emissions equipment, even if you live where there is no emissions testing. None of mine came with cruise control, but I would leave that in if any of them had it. Its nice when driving across the USA.
Why are you moving the battery to the trunk?