It's done...

[Shaggy]

Well, it took me one year, but the day of completion has arrived.  I'm still fiddling with the position of the shifters/levers, seat, bars, etc along with compression and rebound settings on both ends. Haven't been able to get in a trail ride, but it feels great thus far, very comfortable (akin to a La-Z-Boy, but faster) and solid. Heavier than my hardtail (of course) but it's very reasonable.  No official weight yet.  
A small parts listing:
EVO 4.0 Frame w/ carbon fiber swingarm
Fox Vanilla RC
Marzocchi Z1 Freeride
XT hubs w/ Mavic 519 rims
Tru-Vativ Firex Crankset
XT 11-32 Cassette
XT Front, XTR Rear Derailleurs, LX Pods
Avid SD Ti Brakes and Levers
Here's the link to my gallery.  
http://idriders.com/cgi-bin/album_k2.pl?album=Shaggy

[Rawwill]

well done...awsome....how does the fox van holding up?
getting plush rides on it?

[Phillip]

Good looking bike with wise selection of components. I'm curious as to why you had to file the lower shock mount. What size frame and what lenght RC is that?

[Shaggy]

It's a large frame w/ an 8.5" Vanilla RC.  I filed the lower mount b/c there was the slightest bit of interference between the mount and the spring mounting plate which occurs when the shock is fully extended.  It's not much, but the shock doesn't bolt up into the mount in the fully extended position.

[keen]

  Any idea what the head angle and BB height are? I ran a Z1 Wedge w/ a 8.25" Stratos Pro in the rear of my 01' Disc Monkey. Head angle is about 68 deg. I considered running an 8.5" RC but wasn't sure how the bike would handle w/ the raised BB height. I went to a Psylo to adjust my head angle/ handling. A stock Noleen fork is about 18.5" wheras a Z1 is about 20". A 1/4" longer rear shock lifts the rear in the 1+" range.

[Shaggy]

The unloaded BB height is approx 13 1/4".  Didn't have anyone around to measure it when I was on it.  I knew that the rear would raise due to the longer overall shock length of the RC vs the Noleen, which is why I went for the 5" Bomber to raise the front end up.  I've got "personal" clearance over the top tube, but have a hard time getting a foot (or even a toe) down at a stop light if my balancing act isn't on for that day.
As far as the handling due to the head angle...I can't definitively say that it's x or y degrees, but the impression from riding is a neutral one.  It's not slow or lethargic, but it doesn't feel twitchy like a road bike.  I think the 5" front pretty much cancels out the artifically raised rear.  The steering feels very close to my hardtail.  
Hope my roundabout answer is along the lines of what you were looking for...