This weekend, I replaced my guide rod joints on my 126. After fumbling around, I got the passenger's side done without a hitch. On the driver' side, I made improvement getting the job done over the prvious side. That was, of course, before it came time to reattach the joint to the rod. I can't seem to get enough clearance to thread the joint into the rod. Also the joint is very tight and is very difficult to rotate even with a wrench. I have read threads saying to push the lower control arm forward. All I' able to get is perhaps 1/2" of deflection. Should I loosen up any of the suspension components to create more "slack"?

Thanks in advance