Gary,
  I did exactly as you described with my ES.  After speaking with several
ES builders who didn't like the side pins and then seeing that even Lancair
had scrapped them when they began offering the fast build door, I just paid
the $450, installed the newer latches and moved on.
  As for the strut support, I put several staggered layers of carbon on the
inside of the door frame in the area where the strut attaches.  It's rock
solid and I've had no problems with it.
  Skip Slater
  N540ES