<VV> Strangeness with new steering linkage

[Edelstein and Payne]

folks, 
     Well Doran and I finally got the new gas tank and the cross member with the rebuilt/modified suspension back in his 65 coupe, and we decided it was time to install the steering linkage.  We have a new idler arm (the one with the grease fitting), a re-built center link with the nylon pitman arm bushing, and new tie rods.  We had checked the new parts against the old ones when we took the car apart maybe a year and a half ago, to make sure everything matched up.  We had already put the tie rods and the idler arm on the center link, and then bolted up the idler arm on the passenger side with the 2 bolts through the "frame".  Well the center link angles up from the passenger side and ends up against the bottom of the trunk over on the driver's side.  We've taken everything apart again to see if we can put the center link on a different way (like maybe we had it "upside down" or something), but with the tapered holes, it only goes on one way.  To connect up the pitman arm to the steering box (which we have ready to go back in also), I will either have to bend the center link down, or shim the lower of the bolts that hold on the idler arm with some washers, to make the center link parallel to the bottom of the trunk.  I don't remember there being any shims when we took the old one off.  We cleaned and painted the whole underside with POR-15, and there could maybe be a "glob" of paint that's under where the idler arm attaches, but I don't think so.  In looking at pictures that we took before we disassembled the car, it appears that the new idler arm may be hanging down a bit lower than the one we took out, but that is real hard to judge.  Anyway, what are your thoughts about this "strangeness", and how do Doran and I fix and work through it?
                     Thanks,
                    Travis Payne, 65 Monza coupe