Shhhh..... has anyone whispered that many of the older green and yealla mud sucker (always broken lawn tractors) also used a very similar if not identical (but for length) worm gear steering box. So when you've battered the thread part at the top of the column to loosen the steering wheel, because you "forgot" to read the book of rules on the CC site, like someone I know, then you go that mud sucker place and buy spares there, cut and weld to correct length.
If the pin is "hardened then it will transfer the wear to the worm and thats not a great plan.
I would think that replace the threaded pin with another medium hardness purpose turned nose to a pin and allow it to take the wear, its a ~1$ replacement bolt every few years vs the worn worm... just saying