This is what I ended up with for strut rods - home designed based off of several designs I found on line.  I intend to use a castle nut and cotter pin up front so that the nut can't fall off.  I understand that under braking, if the nut falls off the wheel has a tendency to wedge itself in the back of the fender well.    
For the LCA, the first pic is the spherical bearing (c-clips are not installed yet) install followed by the final LCA assembly.  I'm pleased with the way it came out.  They work great sitting on the shelf awaiting installation in the car project that appears to have no end.