Update time. Got the rear bumper mounts all welded up and looks pretty good. Started to modify a rear license plate bracket to fit without having to cut up the spare tire well but got sidetracked...
Ever since I put the car back together the front passenger side tire was about 1/2" too far back in the wheelwell. Actually had to build up the bump stop with weld to get the mechanic to write up a safety, since the tire would rub if I turned too far. I decided I should probably fix that first since it 's a bit more important than the rear bumper valance.
After some measuring I found the upper ball joint sat 1/2" further back than the driver's side ball joint, meaning it wasn't just the lower control arm adjustment that caused it. What I did to remedy this was cut the control arm into 3 pieces, then shorten the front side by 1/4" and add that material to the rear side of the control arm.
Here's a couple shots of the control arm welded up
Got a couple coats of paint on it and bolted it back in. Ended up needing to 'adjust' the bump stop / spring pocket brace mount with the torch and the hammer since the spindle was touching there with the suspension unloaded. Sorry no pics of that.
Next I got the wheels on and the front up on ramps. Did some comparative measuring side to side and got the lower ball joint pretty close to where driver's side is. I'm pretty close to the end of my adjustment but think they'll have enough when I take it in for an alignment this spring. If not I'll have to do the same to the lower control arms which I REALLY don't want to do.
Now the car is back on the ground and the fender is back on, the wheel in question turns without rubbing. Success! Gonna cut the bump stops off and take the car around the block to see if there's any rubbing in the front. By the looks of it I should be in the clear. Then it's on to flaring out the rear wheelwells to fit my tires, the fun never stops...
Phill