LOL, I like to overthink things. After looking again I think it was just because of the thin gasket. I'm getting a thicker gasket instead of shortening the rod.
Any ideas about the throttle cable? How much bend is too much bend? My intuition is that the 1bbl cable is too bent when connected to the 2bbl linkage. I can probably get the throttle cable from the donor car if it will be a good fit.
