I had this same issue on mine when originally put together, I checked around and was told that it was normal to have it tight and hard to turn. As a note though, absolutely everything in mine was 100% new other than the case itself. I was told to drive it and it will loosen up. I run full
synthetic with the Ford additive and now with about 800 miles on the clock it turns relatively easy by hand.
As far as the crush sleeve issue, any time you have the pinion out it is my understanding that it is mandatory to replace the sleeve as it is what puts the proper preload on the assembly.
John