He would still need to make a custom nut in either case.
This company sells 7/8-5 nuts that look like they can be modified to fit.
Shop 7/8 - 5 Left Hand Acme from Roton Products, Inc. View all of our products and shop online for your power transmission needs.
www.roton.com
The threaded mount nut can probably have a flange machined to the right dimensions added to get you back running at the least cost. The picture below is my old nut, I’m assuming your mill used the same nut.
View attachment 481206