S&S sustenuto: Help!

[J Patrick Draine]

Dear List:
I am looking for a "fail safe" step by step procedure for regulating 
the Steinway sustenuto system. Got one you'd like to post?
I'm knee deep in trouble after deciding to tweak the damper lift on a 
~12 year old S&S M. The dampers (especially the bass) were engaging 
immediately, so I thought it clearly was time to set more normal 
damper lift (and the customer told me "our accompanist says the touch 
is too heavy, Pat!"). That, however, was when I discovered the 
trichord wedges were so long they interfered with the string envelope 
-- and the scissors I had were a bit dull, and I was running out of 
time anyways. So I set a slightly better damper lift than what I 
started with, and proceeded with the tuning which is what I thought I 
was there for in the first place ... I had some dampers hanging a bit 
on the sus rod, but made some slight in-out adjustments, and felt 
that everything was AOK.
Well, it turns out that I was overly optimistic, and got a call that 
there were some ringing bass dampers, and the violin & clarinet 
players who own the piano have got *alot* of rehearsal with their 
pianists accompanists planned, starting Wednesday.
I went back to the piano today, with the appropriate gauges at hand 
and S&S service manual handy, and have spent way too much time going 
back & forth between Scylla & Charbidis. When using the S&S sustenuto 
tab gauge I found the rod lip was way too high. I wasn't having any 
luck bending it downward, and used a cardboard shim to lower the 
position of the rod.
Meanwhile I have called another tech to go with me tomorrow to take 
another look at it. Wish me luck!
But like I said, a *very* clear procedure outline would help me immensely.
Jeez I'm too young to have Alzheimer's!

TIA,
Patrick Draine