The stock pickup is designed to have the shield on the bottom touching the stock pan. If you need .200 gap at the pan to block mating surface something is wrong. The pickup part number you list shows for C body applications, which may or may not be the issue, I do not know what the differences are but I do know that the C body used a different pan as well.

The gap was the combined gasket and windage tray thickness. If it wasnt for that then it probably would not fit at all.

For a B-body (charger) what would be the correct oil pick up then if using a hemi oil pan. Anybody know? I've researched until I'm blue in the face and there seems to be a bazillion combinations.

There were at least a couple of different versions of the hemi pan. I run the re-pop that Mancini sells with their stock style pickup. They also sell pickups.

As mentioned, the stock style pickup has a "shoe" that rides on the bottom of the pan to maintain clearance for oil flow. It should be touching the bottom of the pan. This also reduces vibration and stress on the pickup. Sounds like the one you have may be OK.

Some aftermarket pickups have the shoe, some do not.

http://www.manciniracing.com/oilpicandscr.html

if a shoe were needed to be added to a pickup to maintain support, what kind of clearance would be generally accepted ? 1/8"? 3/16"? 1/4"? i'm thinking you could make a shoe from 1x1/8" angle shaped to fit your application/pan , then tacked to your pickup. thoughts on this ?

No shoe support needed for support on any of the Mopar stock oil pickups, as far as clearance from the bottom of the pickups to the oil pan I use the oil dipstick to measure through the oil pan drain plug If it will slide under the pickup on the flat side and not slide through turned sideways I use it, if it won't slide through all the way on the flat side I'll use that also If it is more than the width of the dipstick off the bottom I correct it by pushing(bending the tube) the pickup forward towards the timing cover a little at a time with my hands

Problem solved. With a straight edge and a tape measure. After some measurements forward and back left and right up down etc. I could see the the pickup puck/shoe was leaning up at an angel just enough to lift the front of the pan. With a BFW I gently tweaked it back and voila the pan laid flat with approx 1/16" between it and the pickup. Two pan gaskets were sacrificed but oh well, better on the stand then in the car. Thanks all for your input and advice.

There is only one pickup for that pan in a big block so it is the one that mopar lists. It may require some tweeking to sit properly but it should pretty much be touching the bottom of the pan.