<<With the canopy struts attached, there is distortion of the front sides of the canopy inward when it is opened. No distortion when the struts are removed. With the struts attached, the canopy is flexed inward about 1/8" and the outer overhang wants to hit the top of the longeron upon closing.>>
I saw the same issue during construction. I installed an aluminum tab that pushes the canopy apart just prior to engaging the longeron. The tab is visible behind the canopy strut attach point in this photo