Machinbird:
I can remember some large spacer washers on the McDonnell F-4 that kept the stabilator centered on the fuselage. These things were way overdesigned to look at them, but they were failing in service because they didn't have the hydrogen driven out of the metal following plating operations. (Improper process specification)
It's a known issue going back a few decades before the F-4. After cleaning & replating R-985 pushrod-cover gland nuts (Cadmium plate, no less) we always baked them a couple hours to remove hydrogen entrapped.