Here's a little input from an old circle track racer who has seen the good, the bad, and the very ugly sides of modifying steering system components. You are wise to be reluctant to weld, bend, or otherwise modify a Pitman arm, but there is a safe way to fabricate what you need. Start with a piece of 3/4" steel plate, and flame-cut a piece the right length and shape to make the Pitman arm, then bore holes in both ends large enough to accommodate the cut-off ends of the original Pitman arms from the upper and lower ends. Weld the original pieces into the holes with low-hydrogen welding rod such as #7018. Since a Pitman arm is forged, not cast steel in most cases, the weld should hold safely. If it's necessary to bend the arm for frame clearance, it can be done with a hydraulic press and the right fixtures, rather than heating and bending.
The lower hole in the fabricated Pitman arm could be drilled and taper-reamed for the mating drag link end, and only one weld would be involved for the spline that fits the sector shaft.
Jerry
