AN ACR DC8 FREIGHTER FLC CLBED ABOVE THEIR ASSIGNED ALT. THIS CAUSED A POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER ACR.

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AFTER SEVERAL VECTORS AND SEVERAL SMALL CLBS; WE WERE TOLD TO CLB TO FL330 ON HDG 290 DEGS; FROM AN ALT OF FL270. PER PROC; I CHANGED THE ALT ALERTER TO FL330 AND READ BACK THE CLRNC TO ATC. I POINTED TO IT; AND STATED '330.' MY COPLT DID THE SAME. AT THE TIME; OUR AUTOPLT WAS NONFUNCTIONAL; INCREASING THE WORKLOAD IN THE COCKPIT. WE WERE TOLD TO LOOK FOR TFC AT 1 O'CLOCK; HOWEVER; APCHING FL290 WE SAW TFC AT 7 O'CLOCK; XING L TO R BEHIND US; NO FACTOR. I CALLED THE TFC AND SAID THAT IT WAS 'A LITTLE CLOSE; SIR.' HE THEN PAUSED AND STATED WE SHOULD BE AT FL290. I TOLD HIM WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO FL330 WHILE MY FO STOPPED THE CLB AT FL295. I ASKED IF HE WANTED US AT FL290 OR FL330 AND HE RESPONDED FL290. WE QUICKLY DSNDED TO FL290 AND SHORTLY RECEIVED CLRNC TO FL330; AND CLRNC ENRTE. NO FURTHER MENTION OR DISCUSSION OCCURRED; AND WE WERE UNAWARE THERE WAS A PROB UNTIL WE WERE INFORMED BY OPS. BUT IN RETROSPECT; WE SHOULD HAVE QUERIED BOTH THE INCONSISTENT TFC RPT AND THE ALT; BUT WE WERE PARTIALLY DISTR BY FUEL CHKS; ETC.