Why don't you just move the bash guard out a couple millimeters? And forget shelling out more than you should for shims down at the LBS. You can probably find some washers that will do for pennies down at the LHS (local hardware store). The chainring bolts should be alright as long as you don't need to move it a whole lot.

I really enjoy being able to break my chain by hand in a few seconds. It makes cleaning the bike too convenient to give up the power link.

DanO