Another quick update.....
Started from scratch (again!) on the lower link mount bracketry to make them slightly taller, and knocked out all 4 tabs at once to save time. Spent about an hour standing in front of my 20" disc grinder dressing the tabs down to the exact dimensions I needed.... Of course the outer tabs are longer than the interior ones due to the angularity of the link mounts.
Got them fitted up nice and tight, and when I had the angles "just-so" I tacked them into place.
I have been thinking a lot about the mounting location for the ORI struts. There were only two options: Either mount it well behind the axle and upper link mount tower, or mount it up high...basically at the same height as the upper link mount so that there won't be any chance of the strut hitting the link bracketry under articulation..... I chose the latter.
Here's the current strategy...
Obviously you can see that the link bolts run perpendicular to the lower strut bolt. This will be the correct orientation to allow for massive bump/droop) of the axle. The rotation takes place around the bolt, instead of relying on the misalignment bushing of the lower strut mount.
It can easily be made strong enough to hold the weight of the truck, the only downside is that the upper mount is going to be so high (and through the bed floor obviously) that it will probably end up mounted to the uppermost rollcage tubes!
This will work fine for the rear axle, but up front this strategy will not work. I'd have to cut holes in my hood (big ones!) to let the struts poke through.....
-G