I am still working on the "fix" on my Cozy III as I go. When I am done with this project, I'll post a full article with pictures for others to learn from.
I don't have all the answers yet. But for now, here is what I can say in answer to your questions:
First, the delamination in the composite tab I discovered was as a result of me trying to remove the old steel tube. It was not from landing loads or the failure of the AN6-80A bolt and tube. The delamination is rather small and minor and does not extend to the strut itself. Local builders have looked at this and have come to the same conclusion. Therefore, I do believe I can fix the delaminated area with an injection of wet flox. The problem is that in the plans, you build up half of the tab, let it cure, then build the other half. Between lay-ups, you must rough the first lay-up to ensure a good bond. But this will never be as good a bond as you get if you lay-up over wet glass. This is where the delamination occured. It happened when I had to pound out the old tube, right at the point where the two lay-up schedules come together.
This is not just a "30-year old EZ" problem. In fact, I believe that there are builders out there right now flying on damaged gear who don't even know it. I believe I had been flying on mine with the damage for about 18 months to two years. I say this because I noticed some alignment problems. On some flights, the airplane would pull to the left while taxiing. Then on others to the right. Sometimes it would taxi strait. I kept thinking that maybe it was a crosswind with the open canopy, or a sloping taxiway, or uneven tire pressure, or the new set of tires I just installed, or a dragging brake.... You see, there was always a variable that coused me to think that something other than a gear problem was the cause. Know I know that as the gear moved on the tube - back and forth - both sides did not always move evenly. Sometimes the right side of the strut would move back; other times the left. In any case, the shifting gear caused alignment problems. In 1986, when there were no 30 year-old EZs, RAF issued a recommendation that spacers be installed on the tube between the saddle and the extrusions to keep the gear from moving in its attachment. Unfortunately, word did not get to a lot of builders. I never knew about it. And, although I am not a structural engineer, I can't help but think that the combination of the shifting strut problem, the thin wall tube, and the foam instead fo flox in the void between the tube and the strut all work together to result in broken tubes and bent bolts. And, if the condition continues, in delamination of the tab lay-ups.
Finally, I'm not using the bushings. Instead, I'm following the Bill Oertel recommendation to replace the thin wall tube and bussing design with a solid tube. But, instead of using 4130, which can rust, I'm using 304 stainless. It has the same outside diameter of 5/8" to fit the current installation but I need to have a machine shop ream up the center to match the 3/8 inch AN6 bolt.
Pictures to come later with the full article.