mine is not to far away from the flex plate. That is assuming when it pull it out with my screw driver, the solenoid pushes the same amount.
I have decided to buy a ACDELCO from Rockauto and regroup with it.
I don't see any resources showing how to pull apart a GM Starter (not mini-starter) to shim the gear from the flex plate. Even summit racing says on its page for those shims hey are for a (discontinued) MSD. Even this
fellows shows the gear on You Tube just like mine and my paperclip now seems to fit between the peak of the gear and the valley of the flex plate. Capture from freeze frame of You Tube attached.