Thinking out loud..

No I haven't. But I've tried down and middle. Down was worse. Pinion angle is about 1.5-2 down

Do you know how many degrees down the ladder bar is in relationship to the ground on the front hangers? My buddy pete is a Chassis guy and he is telling me a good start is 2* down and then adjust your pinion angle after that is set.

You may need to cut out the front cross member and re do it! Also with your ARB, are you messing with the preload also? I would probably take it off and start with just the ladder bars get it to hook and then bring the ARB into the equation. I think you could chase your tail trying to set up both at the same time.

Do you have a locator or a Panhard bar?