idler arm bracket

OMG, click a pic! Hard to envision what your describing without owning a 68 or its first year steering setup. So Im reading it is a [ shaped bracket and the idler nests inside this [ and there was a time where there was a washer between the [ and the idler and now the [ has collapsed because he did not use the washer....I'd bend it and correct it. IIRC The washer does not provide support as the internal tube most likely gets beared down on when the bolts are tightened. Does this look to be the case? I had an idler in a MAzda that had a fiber washer in it as your describing and that was only there as a dust shield as the internal sleeve took the load of the mounting bolt and nut.