I am having an upper front timing plate crisis.

have my e320 head back on and am stuck trying to get the timing belt top front plate back on. Playing with it for half an hour and I am thinking there has to be a technique to this that I am missing. I can get the top of the plate but the bottom will not go in. The pin for the drivers side chain guide is back into the head where it should be. I just do not get the physics of getting the bottom part of the plate in. I cannot even get the bottom part of the plate in at the expense of the top part. All I can think of is the pin on the drivers side down low. I am pretty sure that is stopping me. I'll get some pictures posted but I am sure that you folks know exactly what I am dealing with if you have been here and done this.

Thanks very much,
Jim Lee
1995 E320