The seal is pressed in (its removed to change the cam bearings BTW) ~ but I was just beinga little flippant anyway - just forgot the ';)' seemed very odd that you had nearly 1/4" play.
Cam shaft machining for the 3.9 & 4.0/4.6 style are a bit different and seem to result in varying aftermarket tolerances, but 1/4" play does sound to me like the cam is going too far into the block (not the fault of the retainer more the cam machining IYSWIM)
Just have a look where the cam lobes can wander to with a couple of adjacent followers fitted as a visual guide so you can verify where the cam should really be fitted?
Thankyou Dave,
As was said above play is removed with sprocket ftted. However, confirming that either the wrong manual is being used or a seal is missing would be positive.
If there is anyone else who could help it would be most appreciated.
Update: Spoke to a reputable company this morning and it would appear if there is no slack with the wheel fitted all is well.
Thanks to all who helped.