Advice needed: removing plate in steering column

I'm diggin my way to the ignition switch & harness that must be swapped out of my Chrysler steering column. I am at this final plate blocking the switch, can't get it to budge (removed the c-clip before it). But it moves WITH the column-shaft, so even as I've been wiggling and prying it out - as friends said to do -, it's brought the shaft with it.
Now the shaft is more loose than before, and can't get it settle all the way back 'down' to where the shifter can lock it in the Park/safety postion. Man.
Anyone have experience with this? No one's available to help in-person and need to get this on the road again. Thanks for any help.

 

What year and style column are you working with?

 

1975 Chrysler Cordoba
Non tilt column
He's able to pull the shaft out more & more but concerned that it'll cause problems reinstalling the shaft

 

You might be able to support the plate with a couple of pieces of flatbar or metal plate and take a hammer and soft punch or block of wood an see if you can break it loose that way.
You might also spray some PB Blaster or other good rust breaker on it and see if it frees up a bit.
A puller would probably bend the plate.

I'm thinking that you have already compromised the plastic pins in the shaft though.

 

Ok Thanks for the advice. I'll let ya know how it goes I can smell the PB Blaster in waves off of him. I think he soaked it & the rest of my dash LOL
He was able to get the plate up far enough to unscrew the switch for removal.

 

For those that end up working with a mid-70s Chrysler steering column at some point: I consulted an electrician that knows that car, apparently Chrysler gave it a two-part steering shaft with a collar near the floor board; in case of major impact, the column would collapse and not injure you as much. Anyway, I at least got the shaft to come up enough to slide the ignition switch out.
In the middle of surgery still, swappin out the ignition switch wiring from the column. There's an orange wire that goes into the column, gonna hafta trim, strip and connect to the new harness attachment. That stuff just freaks me out. But its stuck in the driveway, gotta move forward.
With that on pause, I worked more on taking the U-bolts off to put in 2" lowering blocks, clean up the rear leafs, etc. Thanks again for the help and advice! Wanted to return the favor with what I just learned.

 

if you removed the C-clip ,,,, and the plate didn't come up ,,,,, that's because the plate has gotten a burr on the plate and is jammed at the C-clip grove ... i've had it happen quite a few times ...try tapping it down ,, it should move some ..should be a spring behind it ,, that you will have a hard time re-installing without a tool that you can get at napa or some other GOOD parts store ..