carb gurus please help

[beater]

im putting a rebuild kit in my carter bbd and on reassembly im stuck. how in the $#@! do you line up the metering rods with the holes in the jets? the diagram shows ive got it right but i cant screw the top down untill i get the rods in the holes. is there some trick to this?

[Damage, Inc.]

Wow...I must be out of it. I don't remember carter's metering rods fitting into the jets. That doesn't help though, does it?