. For our front mount locations the diameter can play a limiting role in the droop/down travel limit too; need to cycle the suspension to determine whether or not this is truly a limitation (with either Carl's or Total Chaos upper arms...).
For the front location you will also need to be sure you have some form of down travel limiter to avoid damaging either the ball joint or spherical bearing (aka "uni-ball"). Preferably internal limiter with the shock and external strap since nylon straps keep stretching with loads applied...
It is important to note mono-tube type shocks will provide a very different feel compared to a dual-tube type shock like OME/OEM. The advantage of a mono-tube type shock (King, Fox, Radflo, et al) especially becomes apparent and valuable for higher speed off-road applications. Whereas, generally speaking, a dual-tube type shock can be better for street applications. Here's some good reading:
Pirate4x4.com - The largest off roading website in the world.