69' Dodge Dart Resto/Upgrade in NY

I'm also converting the car from column shift to floor shift.
Found a crack at the bottom of the shifter:
Shifter crack.jpg

MIG Welded the crack up and ground it down. Left some meat on there to keep it strong:
Shifter weld.jpg

Got the AMD floor shifter console mounting brackets in and mocked up the shifter:
Shifter.jpg

I can't seem to get the front floor console mounting bracket to fit under the front of the console. There's plastic tabs that prevent it from going in. The holes don't line up. Do I need to grind the plastic away?
dont fit 2.jpg dont fit1.jpg