Installing front springs-is there a "trick" to this?

[cowboy33713]

Howdy:
I am nearing the end of my 67 front end rebuild but am having trouble installing the driver's side A Arm spring; had some initial trouble with the passenger side, then suddenly it all came together. The driver side acts as though the spring is too long, which I know ain't so 'cause it was in there before. Know that positioning is a bit of an issue on the top side, with the "small" coils and their seating, but spent more than 4 hours yesterday doing the "reposition and try again" driil without finding a postion the spring liked. The a-armshave full travel without binding, the spring will not compress enough ( when the lower a arm is raised with a floor jack to compress it, per the manual's procedure), to allow the lower ball joint's stud to get all the way through the steering knuckle and allow the nut to be installed. Am I overlooking something?
Thanks for any help.
cowboy33713