Originally Posted by
PatrickGSR94
Is there any way I can shave 2-3 mm off, or will I just have to replace my top 3mm spacer with another 5mm, to make a 10, 5, and 5?
Also managed to get the bottom crown race seated on the fork, but it looks a little mangled from tapping it in place with my vise jaws. It's only pressing against the bearing when everything is together, so is it still okay to use it like this?
A hacksaw would easily handle removing 3 mm.
As others have said your vise grip technique ruined the bottom cone. Take the fork in so that the shop can install a compatible replacement to avoid making another error, such as damaging the seat by tapping the cone on off-square.
FYI the usual trick is to use an old bottom cone upside down to assist in tapping the new one home. That way you have no chance of damaging the bearing surface.