one guy talked about machining the surface - but he is talking about moving the starter closer to the motor not further backward on the car, if you know what i mean, and i guess this is possible to move it a little bit closer to the motor because there is some clearance there from memory but i reckon all you need to do is get a starter in better nic

No, i meant machining the surface that mounts to the trans. That way the starter would move deeper into the trans. I was just commenting on how you might be able to adjust the starter since there are no shims.
I would rather replace the starter, too. It's much easier , cheaper , and probably the problem.