well the pins are always bastardheads.... basically you want to be able to get it loose on those and start the bolts by hand till they are secure and then push it up tight by hand and if the tc is not bound up go ahead and draw the bolts up.
if i could do it with you one time you would know exactly when where why....but i can not.
i just dont want you drawing the bell to the block with the bolts from a 1inch away... thats where the snap crackle pops get worse.
one thing though, measure and or remove the flexplate and make sure the tc snout fits the crank pilot hole. i have seen some variance before.
i usually just fit the converter up by itself to check that with two nuts on the engine if theres any doubts at all.
yes.....patience is a big factor. sometimes you just need to walk away and get a pint or go shoot at things in the target range till you feel better.......