I had the same problem... Except I noticed it was going crooked as it started, then I would just back it out and drill it in slowly. I used my 12V drill with an allen bit to get them in. I had to put a lot of pressure on one side or the other to keep it level. By the time I was done, my hands were pretty tired... I only had one carrier go together without a lot of effort.
I wouldn't heat them up or use any lube. Aluminum won't hold the heat long enough to do much more than burn your fingers. Adding lube will make them backout on you when running it. As tight and hard as mine were to get in, I still have to tighten them after about 4 tanks of running. One always backs out a turn or two.
