Thanks all. I finally did get it. I was wary to do it, but I ended up lowering the bike towards the ground slowly and was able to get it lined up. I also had to loosen the chain slack adjusters to get the spindle through the far side by the sprocket (no mention of that in the book...they make it sound like snapping a couple legos together !!)
BTW, I took the recommendation I found re: the Sears bike lift. I found it for $65 after tax and it really helped out. I was paranoid to begin lowering the bike since I was solo and wasn't sure about letting the jack support the weight of the bike outside the 3 pre-set heights. It finally worked though.
Sorry to post in the wrong spot and thanks for moving it and all the help.
One last thing...how freely should the wheels turn when the bike is fully suspended in neutral? There's definitely some friction happening but where's the line?
Thanks again all.
