Ok to heat and bend a pitman arm?

Try it cold and bend only what you absolutely have to. Try grinding a little off the end of the pitman arm swivel if that`s where it`s hitting. As you`ve read ,if you must heat it ,just let it cool without any speeding of the process. When everything is clearanced take the car to a competent front end specialist and tell him what you did before he aligns the front end.