Pedersen 308 / Junker & Ruh SD 28 leather machine needle alignment

[Einherj]

I bought this Pedersen 308 (identical to Junker & Ruh SD 28) leather stitching machine, but there is an issue:

The needle hits somehow too far back, it hits the foot and the edge of the needle plate.
I was thinking the needle has bent too much somehow, so I tried with 3 different needles, same issue.
The plate has some damage, so it seems like the previous owner has had the same problem.
I can't see a way to adjust the needle position forward. It would need to shift about 5 millimeters to not hit anything and clear the bobbin case too.

Any ideas?