rear strut and trailing arm alignment
 

I am half way through replacing the rear struts on a ‘72 911 S. The right side replacement went in without any issues. I am now stuck on the left side. The new koni strut doesn’t perfectly align with the trailing arm.

The original koni strut wasn’t sitting perfectly. Removing the bottom bolt was difficult. I had to back it out the whole way.

The new strut is loose at the top, but the angle between the trailing arm and the bottom of the strut is just not aligned. While I could insert the bolt with force it doesnt feel like the answer. Moving the arm up or down with a bottle jack doesnt make much difference.

I am considering backing off the spring plate but I thought I would seek any suggestions here first...

The arm of course could be bent, but that should show up in its ability to give the correct tow and camber. I guess the control arm bushing/spring plate bushings could be degraded to a degree that it would cause this problem. On a car of this age, if that hasn't been addressed, at least in the last 1o-15yrs, it needs it. And that is a lot of work, but it is what it is.