tub shoe misaligned

OK, I'm an idiot, I admit it. Remodeling bathroom, new plumbing and all. I hooked up the tub drain to the p-trap before installing the tub (solvent weld PVC). Now with the tub in and Durock up, I go to hook up the drain and notice the shoe is not even with the tub bottom. It's twisted a bit, about 1/8 inch gap on one side when the other side makes contact. The thin rubber gasket won't seal this, so can I use a thicker gasket, like on the overflow fitting? What are my options?

Access to the pipes is very restricted and will be difficult (be maybe not impossible) to cut out and try again.

Is there any play under the tub shoe¿ Is there way to prop up the side that is an eigth shy¿ You just want to get the connection started without it cross threading.

There's some play, but not much. The shoe is up against a joist (but that's not the problem). I can screw in the spud with no problem of cross threading, but the flange doesn't sit flush inside the tub either. Tightening it won't pull it flush either, because that would require twisting the PVC.

Just wondering if this is something that happens frequently and if a thicker gasket on the bottom and the plumbers putty under the flange take care of things. Or is that just asking for problems down the road?

I've almost talked myself in to cutting the horizontal run between the shoe and the , use a coupling, and re-glue it making sure it sits flush against the bottom of the tub. I figure I'll have enough wiggle room while making the connection to get it level.

Any tips on cutting PVC in a very confined area with one hand and no room to move?

Can use any standard sawzall blade with this bad boy:

drain

I am not sure why you did not put the drain together when you installed the tub, since that connection is the FIRST one you make and everything else works to it. But since you did not, cut the pipe to the drain and put it back together with a coupling so you can rotate it level. There is no way to make a crooked one work OR not leak.

Thanks everyone. I cut the drain and re-glued it with the tub in place. No leak during the first test. I'm waiting another day for the mortar underneath to dry completely before I fill it all the way up.

I couldn't attach the drain to the tub first because the tub was such a tight fit in the alcove, I had to slide it in to place. I thought I was being smart in getting the drain all lined up first! Ha.

tub

WE assemble the drain to the tub first, and then remove it. We then connect it to the drain system with the openings properly located. By doing that, there is no way the drain can be misaligned. But we install the drain strainer IMMEDIATELY, we do not wait until the walls are done, which is what your original question implied.