What's the possibility that the housing is bulged a little and won't let the damper fit as it was originally intended? A little bit of massaging with a dead blow hammer might be an option, or how about getting a piece of solid Teflon rod and making a thicker bushing?
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!