instrument pod removal from pedestal

[mdidomenico]

i pulled the guard that wraps around the steering pedestal.  it also has two pods located on either side for speed and depth attached to the guard rail.  i managed to pull the instruments from the fiberglass housing, but i'm not able to remove the lower portion from the stainless guard rail.  i pulled the side screw out, but i suspect they're frozen to the rail in some having been attached for 30yrs.  i tried pb blaster, wd40, torch (for some heat), even banging on them with a hammer they don't seem to budge.

any other ideas for getting them off?  i'd entertain cutting them briefly, but ideally i'd like to resell them on ebay if i can and i'm also scared of damaging the stainless rail.

here's an example of the bracket (from ebay): http://www.ebay.com/itm/Edson-Pod-Bracket-B-403-2-/132099896389

[Stu Jackson]

Try www.edsonmarine.com.  IIRC, they have manuals and installation instructions on their website.

[Jim Hardesty]

If I understand correctly you are not able to remove the pedestal guard from the base fitting where it goes into the cockpit floor.  If that is correct, I suspect your problem may be that it's full of calking.  You can check that from below.  If that proves to be the case you can try cutting some from below, steady pressure, moderate heat, release agent or as a last resort brute force.
Hope this helped.
Jim

[mdidomenico]

If I understand correctly you are not able to remove the pedestal guard from the base fitting where it goes into the cockpit floor.

no sorry for my bad explanation.  the guard itself pulled right out of the fittings attached to the cockpit sole.  and yes there is a big gob of 5200 or something in there i have to dig out. 

the piece i'm referring to are the little pods that sit on the side that hold depth/speed instruments.  i can't seem to budge them loose.  i had a thought last night about trying some CLR on it, maybe it'll break down the calcification between the mount and the guard rail.