Got a question re: REBUILDING an OLD FD590V

I got most of the parts & work done to rebuild my old FD590V ... BUT ... I have one question. The OIL PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE consists of a ball & spring affair that opens under pressure to bleed off any excess. My spring is a bit longer than the "minimum service dimension", so I assumed it was O.K. to use ... problem is, the spring doesn't have any pressure on it at all if the crankcase is bolted together ... there is about 1/16" of free play in the socket. Is this normal ??? From the pictures in the rebuild manual, it appears that the spring is flush with the top surface of the block, or even possibly just a bit proud. Should it have the free play up & down, or should it have light tension on it at all times ???

thanx for any help ... ... ...

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Got a question re: REBUILDING an OLD FD590V