My rod ends FINALLY showed up on Friday...what a wait.
Got all of the link mounts built and tacked into place (nothing is braced or fully welded yet). I built a total of 4 mounting options for the upper links (2 at the frame end and 2 at the axle end). I spent quite a bit of time with the 4 link calculator tweaking mounting locations and lengths to try to get some numbers that I consider to be ideal. I ended up with a setup that I think is going to be almost perfect; good vertical sep at the axle, slight negative roll axis angle (understeer is more desirable than oversteer), good triangulation on both sets of links. I would have preferred to get the instant center a little further forward, but I think what I have will work fine...especially considering the low horsepower I am running. The antisquat I am SUPER happy with...as the suspension droops the AS gets lower...meaning that the design is inherently stable and shouldn't have any tendency to hop on hillclimbs, or look like it is trying to hump itself when I'm hung up on a rock. I did have to build a crossmember for the lower link mounts...they hang down 1.5" below the frame level...I would have liked to tuck them up a little more, but I just couldn't get good numbers that way. But, I angled the back of the brackets so they're not rock anchors, and I really don't think 1.5" is all that far to drop below frame level. I don't have the links built just yet so I can't measure driveshaft angles or plunge yet, but I'm guessing that plunge will be less than 2 inches. The u joint angle will be the limiting factor in how much droop I will be able to get.
A LOT of time went into this design...probably too much. I didn't start building anything until I felt like I had a reasonable grasp on 4 link design. Still...if anybody out there has any input, feel free to post it up.
I am going to need to move the gas tank back about an inch, and up an inch or two to keep the necessary clearance around the rear axle, but I think I can do this with no body mods.