1.) Is there any replacement compression spring available for the earlier style oil pump (the one with the 0.5" diameter ball bearing valve)?

I thought I found one at McMaster-Carr, but no, the wire diameter is .5mm too thin. I do not believe it would resist compression like the original. The resisting force is about half of what's needed (if my conversions to Newtons are correct)

Too bad, too, . Theirs is 39mm long and 11mm O.D. like the original.

Looking at the assembly, it appears the wear of the spring could be avoided if some kind of sheath, similar to a valve guide could be installed above the check ball. Any thoughts?

2.) The gear cover underside on my pump (114,000 miles) is scratched by the gears. Is this normal? I wanted to measure "end float" as per the green manual, but couldn't figure out how. Gear backlash is within spec.

3.) How the heck does the reinforcing ring from ipd actually install? It doesn't seem to "press fit" at all, but remains loose on the distributor shaft. Won't it fall into the pan if I later remove the distributor?