I see those rods all the time on Ebay. "Brand new" is unobtanium- - - -reconditioned is perfectly OK. The only way to check it correctly is with a dial bore indicator set to the correct housing bore size, or with an inside micrometer, with the rod bolts torqued and the bearing not installed. What's the chance you might have the cap installed backwards? The cutouts for the bearing anti-rotate tabs in the rod and the cap should be on the same side, and it's very unlikely the hole will be perfectly round with the rod assembled incorrectly.
The correct housing bore dimension is 2.4030"-2.4040", according to the Federal-Mogul shop specifications manual.
Jerry