Lathe =1 and axis display orientation

I'm creating a new configuration for my mill, to use it as a lathe. I'll be mounting a lathe headstock on the side of the mill column and bar stock will enter through the back of the headstock and exit sticking out just over the top of the mill table. Lathe gang tooling will be fixed to the mill table. So the gender change operation from mill setup to lathe setup looks like this:
X axis - stays the same
Y axis - turns into Z axis
Z axis - deleted
Spindle - electrically and programmatically stays the same. Physically, gets removed, turned 90 degrees and installed in a different location.

Now my questions:
1 ( A ): What actually happens when I set LATHE = 1 in my ini file, other than losing my 3D view and perspective options?
1 ( B ): Do I really need to set LATHE = 1?

2: How can I change the perspective of the axis display so that it matches the nonstandard physical layout of my machine? I need X displayed from left to right, and Z displayed from top to bottom.

Bump

IFAIK LATHE=1 is a switch used just by the GUI to display things lathe like.

lib/python/glnav has functions for views - but it's python based opengl commands.

Chris

I am doing this with Lcnc 2.7.
I swing the display around front so it displays X up & down. Z left & right.
My (Mill Z) axis remains locked and never moves.
Using Mesa 7i76 servo board. lathe spindle uses mills A axis driver with a plugin motor & encoder.