Danny, After test fitting my "new" rod I found the same problem with the allignment of the holes. Bending the rod slightly in the middle should work fine (good idea!)
There also seems to be a problem with the inner hinge on the horiz. stabs. You may already be aware of this one, but the inner hinge must be cut shorter or it will protrude into the stab. too far and interfere with the large alluminum tube. Look out for this, it would be a pain to fix after the hinges are glued. Iowa