Your hub should slip on easily, without force of any kind. Even if the outer race is not fully seated does not account for 1", so I don't think that is the problem.

Find the largest socket that will fit inside your original bearing (close to the size of the spindle) and see if it will fit inside your new bearing. It sounds like you might have the wrong bearing.

Also make sure you are putting the hub on squarely, otherwise the spindle might get caught up on the hub/bearing on the way in.

John - I cleaned and repacked the front wheel bearings on our '88 244 GL to weeks ago. The outer "race" you mention is called the "cup" in tapered roller bearing nomenclature. The inner race rolling elements, and separator is called the cone assembly. In these automotive wheel bearings, the mounting arrangement is bearing 1 cone, bearing 1 cup, bearing 2 cup, and bearing 2 cone. This arrangement is called an "indirect mounting."

One inch! A misseated race should not leave you an inch short. It sounds like your rear cone bore is undersized. Remove a hub, take out the cone assembly, wipe down the spindle, and attempt to dry fit the cone assembly onto the spindle. If it goes all the way back you're good, if not, your supplier gave you the wrong Timken bearing.

As an unsolicited hint, I ALWAYS do identical jobs like this (left wheel bearing/ right wheel bearing, bushings, etc.) in series (sequentially), never parallel (simultaneously). This approach can take a bit longer, but if something goes awry on the first job, I then have the untouched components to use as a reference.

Good luck. Please let us know how what the problem was and how you fixed it.
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'88 244GL, '89 244GL, '90 244DL, '91 244, '92 244

i am trying to figure out if you have teh races pressed in far enough, they go all the way in, there is a stop for them so you can not go too far,,that really sounds like what is happening, as for hammering the hub,, NOPE,, really bad idea..the hub fits on the spindel and there will be plenty of room to put the nut on..It actually should hand tighten all the way to the stop and then about a half turn more to torque it but use a torque wrench..
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Max..1989 244 DL 5 Spd., Bilstein HD, Turbo Swaybars, Poly Bushings all round, Turbo Wheels, Black leather interior, Electric mirrors, LED dash and gauge lights.