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I'm not a diesel mechanic expert, I have built my share of Chevy small blocks and big blocks, but something just doesn't sound right with that much play in the crank. Hopefully a diesel expert will chime in with some good advice.
When you pull the main caps, check for a spun bearing. If you find one that has spun in the cap you will most likely need a new cap and have to have the block align-honed.
The weight of the flywheel is probably pushing the crank into the bearings. With the flywheel off its probably floating. I would pull the crank and see what's going on in there.
Sounds like you have a bad crankshaft and most likely bad bearings.. Sorry for the bad news :(
I would pull the crank out and look at the bearings, I bet some of them are beat up bad. Have the crank checked for straightness .
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