I like to be able to reverse engineer parts and try to see where they can be improved since most times the original part was made to be as cheap as resonalable. Thus I wonder if the reason for the lack of precision fit would be due to the dusty enviroment and a true slide fit would bind when it gets dirty, where with "excessive" clearance it would not.
from google, I have observed that some guide tubes look like "pump" pipe and not machined and the bearing carrier was sloppy fit. I did see about half I found did have a recess in the ID of the bearing carrier for retaining lube.
So you are thinking with the fork retaining spring on crooked, the carrier could not side straight down the tube and bite into each other
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