<<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