standard fork seal install

[skids]

I have been having some issues with my 78's fork seals.

I had to dig out the rubber in the lower. It was like it was cemented in place. I took out the snap ring and the spacer and while digging out the rubber I noticed that the old seals were beneath a metal ring (after scraping a thin layer of rubber off that) The ring is rigid in the tube. The ring is the same size as the spacer. Is that normal with standards? Is that ring part of the old seal and it is just stuck in there?

I figured that the ring was there to seat the seal, but the rubber I dug out was mostly below that. There is only something like 0.23 inches from the top of the lower to this ring and if I put the new seal against it, there is no room for the spacer washer and snap ring.

What is wrong? Old age (me) perhaps?

[skids]

OK, the suspense was killing me. I put heat to it and removed each "ring." In fact there was also 6mm (?) cylindrical portions beneath the rings. Yep, they were remnants of the seals.