Thanks. I was only prying on one side,so I will try both and some penetrating oil. I gather there is a close fit between the ss cover piece and the inside shaft. The only thing wrong otherwise is the black neutral knob sticks and is hard to pull out (needs to be pried often). It used to be some WD-40 followed by grease would loosen it up, but no longer. The shifting and throttle work fine. So I figured I would take it apart and see if I can clean up the shaft. If I can't I will look into some kind of replacement. There are side mount throttle/shift gizmos listed in our local marine store catalog. Don't know whether they would work, but I imagine the mechanism is common to many boats.
