Steerer threads can be extended, and excess length cut off. It used to be standard stuff at bike shops, so just find an old shop, and they can probably help you out.
The loose crown race is probably a JIS/ISO issue. Your old fork was undoubtedly a JIS with a 27mm race seat, and the new one is likely ISO with 26.4mm seat.
I have corrected this with a knurling tool to emboss the race seat to make the effective diameter larger. The same thing can be accomplished with a centre punch. When doing this, it's also a good idea to use some kind of assembly compound such as Loctite 680 to keep the race firmly in place.