Exactly. The strut rods are not there to set the alignment. They should be adjusted so there's no bind in the movement of the LCA through it's range of motion. There is a little bit of a range in the length of the strut rod where you won't get binding, so, some adjustment can be made. But what you don't want to do is just adjust the strut rod until the tire clears and have the LCA binding up because of it.
Dead on doesn't say a thing. What specs did he use? Original or radial friendly? There is also a range that is "dead on". How tall are the front tires? We had trouble with 235-60-15s, but 215-60-15s fit perfect on my son's Dart.
Again, exactly this. Caster has a range for being correct and it doesn't have to be identical side to side. And the difference between the factory specs for bias ply's and what you should have for those newer radials is significant. The body tolerances on these cars aren't perfect either. Have you looked the the lower fender to bumper brace? There is some adjustment there as well, it may not be the same on both sides and you might be able to push the lower corner of the front fender out a bit with that brace if it's not maxed out already.