i went out and bought some pipe clamps first thing this morning. unfortunately one of the pipes was further away from the wall than the other so i had to go back and get a couple of bigger ones. they didnt have the galvanized clamp in the size i needed so im stuck with copper ones if i want them to match.<p>plumber was in a mellower mood when he arrived a couple of minutes ago. he is open to my suggestions about moving the whole thing to the far wall, reorienting the shower lengthwise in the tub, if smaller stems and handles arent an option. but for now he is just installing copper piping from the rough in valve (brass fixture) that you linked to. actually this one is a little smaller than that one, only 6 inches between centers instead of 8. dont know if that makes any difference when seeking out stems, et al. so im just getting out of the way and letting him install it and trusting that he will revisit it in the not too distant future which im fine with assuming it comes to pass.