ORIGINAL: Planeclothes

I recently purchased a Peakmodel 50 size Edge 540 which I am presently putting together. I mounted a brand new DLE 55 using the stock standoffs and when I put the cowling in place found that the prop drive washer is more than 1/2'' BEHIND the cowling's center hole. On top of that I also observed the cowling looks off centered relative to the engine's center line. Obviously the firewall has some right/down thrust built in but the cowling's ring was not offset for that. Bottom line is I need to use 1/2'' (or slightly more) spacers and some washers behind the cowling ring to get better centering. I stopped by Home Depot today and picked up (4) 1/2'' long nylon spacers and (4) 5mm x 40mm bolts. I also purchased a 4 ft long 3/4'' hardwood dowel. This is my first project with an engine larger than 30cc and I am fully aware of how much more vibration a larger engine produces. My question is, would it be safe to use the nylon spacers (easy way out), or should I cut spacers out of hardwood?