well, i was able to hit the spindle all the way through with the palm of my hand, so it's seated correctly on the drive side. i've tightened it several times, but there is still some play. the bike tools i have aren't adequate for getting enough torque on the left crank bolt, so i'll have to either go by a shop to get it tightened or get an adapter for my socket set tomorrow.

thanks for everyone's help. it looks like it's going to work out.