No problem Larry. Being a long time married guy myself, I speak that "talking past..." language too - hahaha!
Gotcha on the "pin" actually being the spring pack bolt. Did you not have the same hole "slop" on the driver side bracket? On your concern about the alignment of the axle, I think you could select a spot, such as the rear edge of the front spring mount on the frame and measure back to the forward side of the axle tube on both sides. If there is a difference side to side, with the u-bolts still loose, you could see if bumping the axle on that loose side fore or aft to see if it will bring those measurements into sync.
