Lace Holy Grails - Swelling of Pickup

I bought some used Lace Holy Grails on Ebay.

When they got here, I started to install them in an Anodized PG,
and noticed they had swollen somehow, so that the plastic covers
(which are glued on with these ones) were binding in the hole,
and preventing the pickups from rising up higher without forcing.

I don't want to file the anodized (new) pickguard,
although I probably would have, if it were simply a plastic one.

I am suspicious that either the glue melted in the sun or was a poor choice
in the first place.

I haven't established whether the pickup covers were originally glued on,
i.e., by Lace, or if this was done by previous owner(s) to prevent them rattling or being removed.

If anyone has Lace Holy Grails, I'd like to know if the covers are glued on.

Secondly, I am wondering what the cause for the swelling is:

(1) glue swelling or bubbling over time,

(2) glue reacting with potting / coatings in coils.

(3) glue partially melting or swelling in the sun (the pickups have a noticable brownness to the tops (only).

(4) I am also wondering if someone had previously tried to darken or age them using coffee staining or heat. This might have damaged the original glue and/or expanded the plastic covers.

(5) Someone perhaps using improper glue to fix the covers and this just not working out one way or another.

(6) Maybe someone tried to heat and soften or loosen the glue, to remove the plastic covers and see inside, but this tactic failed? Now the pickups are out of shape.

I am obviously concerned because any tampering may have also affected the sound or reliability of the pickups, even if they appear to function.

Does anyone have experience owning, examining, and/or installing these pickups?

Notably, do they come glued together?

Has anyone ever had problems with them swelling or binding in slots?