Thanks all for your feedback. I can see the benefits of from both sides of the 5mm vs. 6mm spectrum. I wrote a big long letter post discussing the assets of both, and then conveniently / well/ mistakenly deleted it... and am too tired to reiterate, however, thanks.
I did get a surly big trucker honkin' something or other front rack today. Mocked it up only using the lower eyelets and one pipe clamp on an upper. Even mounted the Jandd expedition mongo packs on it. They are huge. I would have NEVER considered mounting them there, yet, it was amazing how stable the bike was with the oversized bags hanging off the front (even missing one of the upper attachments). Also- the surly rack kit only came with 5mm hardware. I almost wonder if you'd have to ream out the mounting slots to accept 6mm.
This week, I should get a new fork in the mail from fleabay to put the braze on's on.... I will mock up the bike, strip it down, braze it up, paint it up, then ride off into the sunset! (ps- these pictures are aweful- and I used the rarely used "flash" on the point and shoot, but was happy to see the reflectors on the packs still work!
Thanks again.
Ron