Ok, so here's my $5.00 question....
I've attached a diagram from the manual....and "what I've got"
In the picture, on the right is the brass/bronze #9. I believe they call it the thrust plate. I have two of them.
In the picture on the thrust plate, you can see two squiggly type of seals.
THAT IS ALL THAT WAS THERE when I opened this up.
Now, the kit that I received and (so far) virtually ALL the diagrams I've seen.... have #8 or the Seal Plate.
The diagram on the attached PDF shows the two squiggly seals that I have in place already.
They however, show several more pieces in the middle. If you look back at my picture, they are different than the book picture but none the less, there they are. They (as best I can tell) go down first, then this plate helps to compress them against the 'floor' of the pump.
Being OCD about trying to follow instructions, I put them in....and frankly, they fit.
UNTIL....I got the second round in (impellers and the upper thrust plate)
Once I put the upper thrust plate into place, it was clearly....maybe a 1/16th higher than the plane of the surface.
The guy at the shop told me I'd have to test turn this because it would be 'loaded up' I think was his term.
What I'm totally dumabfounded about is....
Do I need to put these parts in there that were NOT in there when I took it apart?
(it's possible that their absence was part of my problem??!)