i finally got around to putting my new rack in this wknd. i've got the u-joint and pinion splines lined up and mostly together, but i am about 1/4" short of having them fully mated. no matter how hard i push, they won't go any further. i am hesitant to bang on the rack to force the pinion into the u-joint that last 1/4". any ideas? i tried spraying some pb blaster on to help lubricate. perhaps grease would have been a better choice? i've also pryed the ujoint apart with a screwdriver to no avail.

i was thinking in the back of my mind of pulling the entire u-joint off the upper column and put the lower u-joint onto the pinion on the bench and then haggle with the upper u-joint under the car (i think i read somewhere it went on a lot easier?). i'd rather not take it apart again though as it seems so close!!!! any ideas?????