New inner front fender question

[Woodside113]

I have some replacement inner fenders going on a set original outer fenders. I went to bolt them together and it seems like it's going to take a lot of manipulating to get them to bolt together. Is this normal or could there be an issue with the new inner fenders? The outers are freshly painted so I hate to be too aggressive. I haven't painted the inners yet. Am I right in trying to bolt them together off the truck or is it best to mount the outer fenders first? Grill is off and core support is in place.