Hydraulic Steering

[HumberJewel]

1991 Merc 2.5 litre 200 hp
I installed the hydraulic cylinder on the motor with the powerhead removed.
When I went to reinstall the bottom cowels I found that the hydraulic steering slide plate blocks the rotaion of the front cowel latch.
Is there a known solution to this problem?
Modify the latch?

 

[racerone]

That rusty piece does not look like an original part.

 

[HumberJewel]

I wondered if it was the correct part as well, but it looks exactly like the one in the parts diagram.
Turns out the part was deformed. I corrected the bend and cut about 4mm off the hook end. It now works.
Rust. The latch has a notible loss of material from rust. The swing arm also has lost some material. The motor mount hardware is also rusty.
Seems like anything made of steel is gradually disappearing. The aluminum on the other hand looks great.