I wouldn't alter the steering gear- - - -just notch the frame slightly to allow the rack to bolt on. There looks to be plenty of material there- - - -losing half an inch or so wouldn't weaken anything I can see, but your perspective might be different.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!