funny, i sold HO stuff in my shop for years, and that you should mention control arm bushings; i was thinking along the same lines for a while.
here's my end game plan:
picture 2 tubular control arms, but with a smaller tube greased and slid into the (outer tube) arm, which'll have a zerk or two installed.
the inner tube carries the front mount, a simple hinge along the lines of what you did but wider to obviate the need for a lateral locating link.
the outer tube carries lower shock mounts like now.
it also carries a bracket to provide a flat mount for the stock pillow block bearings from the existing swingarm to hold the axle, just like now.
the outer tube's ability to spin on the inner tube will allow the arms to move independently from each other w/o binding, providing the axle articulation we need.
then we do a like arm on the front of the motor plate whereby it also hinges and rotates.
float the rear portion of the motor plate on it's own pillow blocks on the axle, causing the engine plate to match the axle's movement, keeping the sprockets aligned.
net result, i believe, will be a legit live axle that should keep both tires planted and improve ride quality.
i'm expecting stiffer springs will be needed vs the oem config since both shocks will share less common bump load.
am i missing anything you can think of?
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