What a great forum, and well like a kid in a candy store etc...so much amazing stuff to digest.
I know this thread is old but thgt it would be interesting to hear thghts on the shim issue. I hate those darn shims...When they break up that glass hard stuff will destroy an engine in a second.
I shimmed with said shims to get the end float, got it all measured up, removed them and then turned up a single solid shim to size from some tough tool steel which I played with the heat treatment then loctited in place. Just seems less likely to break up so to speak.
Time will tell I guess.