Will a loose ball in the front wishbone at the transmission cause a shimmy?

Yes, this could be one of the issues causing a car to shimmy. A loose ball in the front wishbone can be one of the causes of front shimmy. The front-end caster (5 degrees) is dependent on the exact position of the front radius ball. Make sure you have all the correct pieces to mount the radius ball to the bottom of the fly-wheel housing.