Does the thrust plate have a shoulder that establishes the proper end play? Some do- - - -others don't. If I'm dealing with a non-shouldered thrust plate I use shim stock or a couple of correct-thickness feeler gauge blades as spacers, get the gear as hot as a Propane torch will make it, and tap the gear onto the cam quickly while the hole is expanded. It's virtually impossible to overheat the gear with an LP gas torch- - - -no need to get anal about it!
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!