[lisa]

I agree, something like this would be helpful... or allow the "hide" command to work on a surface level, not just on a an object level.

The method I usually use is to select the object and set the whole thing to the same material, say orange. Then, I switch to surface mode and unclick "select through". I highlight the faces by marquee selection, but since I have select through turned off, this selects only the visible faces. I click the material palette again, and turn these a different color, red. Now, I right-click on orange in the materials palette and choose "Select surfaces with this material". Because only the hidden faces are still orange, this selects only the hidden faces, which I can then delete.

Also helpful: Pressing the "f" key will allow you to focus in on any part of a model. This is helpful for getting the camera inside models and other places it won't normally go.