I'm reassembling my forks after installing progressive monotubes and chrome sliders. My service manual is deceiving me lol. There is a flat washer and what seems like a sleeve on the fork tube. Does it slide on top of the fork seal? So it would be slider with fork seal installed, then slid on to fork tube with the sleeve and washer on top of the fork seal? I hope I'm making sense.

 

what model bike?
I'm in the process of doing mine for the second time as we speak, my monotubes arrived yesterday.
Are these the three parts you're referring to?:


..and anytime I disassemble anything, I always make sure to have a clean workspace to lay out all the parts in the order they were removed, even going so far as to take notes and pictures... saved my *** more than once...

 

Yes those pieces. I can't remember how they went together.

 

2001 fat boy by the way

 

Hmmm, not sure about a 2001 FB... do have the service manual? ..because I';d hate to give you the wrong info
Maybe a call to the dealer service dept. is in order...

But on my Slim:
They go onto the slider in the order pictured...
The large one is the lower slider bushing.
The flat washer is the seal spacer, and acts as the "stop" for when you seat the seal.
The seal goes on top, with the printed side facing up.
Lastly you'll have that snap-ring that goes over top of the seal...

When I did it, I used a piece of 1 1/2" schedule 40 PVC to seat the seals.
I slit the pipe down just one side to allow it to expand slightly, to get it to fit over the top slider tube.
Just be sure to have the end cut an an exact 90° to seat the seal evenly.
I also placed an extra seal spacer I had (the flat washer) over the top of the seal to protect it and help seat it, then removed it after.
On the top of the PVC, I added a pipe plug, or end cap to make it easier to pound on - two smacks with a rubber mallet and the seals were in...

I got lucky this time as I didn't have to do the total disassembly again for the monotubes...
Good luck...

 

So bushing seats in the fork slider, then washer, then the fork seal with snap ring? It feels like I'm having a hard time getting the monotone in the slider like the bushing is stopping it.

 

Again, I can only tell you what I had to do on a '13 Slim.
I doubt an '01 FB will be the same...
Do you have the manual?
At the very least a trip to the dealer might get you a better and more accurate answer - even if you have to take all your loose parts and ask about the reassembly order... better safe then sorry.
This isn't a job you want to do twice, or worse, get wrong...

 

.

 

I have the service manual at home, but wont be able to get to it until 1800 tonight, about 12.5 hours. can send you pics and stuff if you are still stuck.

 

He`s already waited ten years, what`s a few more hours ..