Thrust Bearing damage - Why?

i think space from flexplate to converter when pushed in trans is around 1/8th of an inch...afaik this is called good. Did not measure the distance to the front of the case.
Ok, that's good. I did the ring gear method as it was easy to measure before I put the tranny in. With all the issues I had I was looking for ways that involve lifting the tranny as little as possible!