Starter Grinding

I have a '69 CJ5 with a Dauntless V6. The starter used to grind once in a while and then it would catch after a few tries. Now the starter stopped working - just clicking. Took the starter out, bench tested it, and the gear is not going out. So I took the starter off of our parts jeep (same motor) and put it on after bench testing it and making sure that it worked. The replacement starter is grinding 90% of the time when you turn the ignition switch. After searching I read about shims for the starter. Not sure if they would help or not? Where would I get just the shims? Anyone know how thick they are? One difference between the two starters is that the original had a threaded hole for a bracket to support the end of the starter. The "new" starter doesn't have the bracket hole. Could the starter be out of alingment with the motor somehow? Any suggestions as to what to look for? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Your starter is a Delco Remy. The Threaded hole as said, is for a stabilizing bracket and not all vehicles used it. Re-builders don't always replace the barrel with exactly the same kind, meaning hole drilled. Starter will still carry the same replacement Nr. Many V6's with the hole are missing the brace. Not a big deal. The grinding noise can be two things. 1= the ring gear teeth are worn badly and won't engage with the starter bendix properly. 2= the bendix is wore out and is slipping. As far as shimms. It is a GM starter and any parts store should carry them.