Installing torsion bars- shouldn't this be the easy part?

I struggled a bit getting the old torsion bars out of my '73 318 car...but eventually, they yielded after coughing up a few bucks for the torsion bar removal tool that I didn't want to buy. :D

So now I'm in the process of putting the new 1.08" Sway Away bars (yeah, I probably should have gone bigger for optimal handling)...and they're giving me a bit of trouble.

I started with the arm fully un-supported and I couldn't quite get it to seat into the socket so I raised the arm a few degrees, made some progress...The passenger side bar is about 1/2 of the way into the socket on the control arm...and it has taken a lot of whacking with the rubber mallet to get that far. Now the arm is flush with the body mount and I'm starting to hesitate before getting too aggressive with the torsion bar tool for the purposes of installation.

Before I go any farther;
Is it typical to have the bars put up a fight before sliding in? What am I doing wrong?

I did put a small amount of grease on the end of the bar and in the socket...could the tolerances be so tight that this is causing a problem?

Thanks for any tips!