2012 DF300 Trim Rod Seal/Guide Problem

[Contender31]

My mechanic replaced one of the two seals/guides on my DF300 using the spanner wrench tool but jacked up the second one where he resorted to using a punch and hammer trying to get it to come off. He wasn't successful and hasn't had a chance to get back on it himself. I've tried heating the cap, and using the same punch hammer technique but no luck. I'm thinking about drilling a couple of the holes through and threading a small machine screw through a pc of 1x1 angle steel or something. My only concerns is that shaving might get into the cylinder. The rods are pitted from being in saltwater a couple years so ultimately they will need to be replaced also. I noticed there is a filter PC 2 in the schematic. I was wondering if this would keep the metal shavings out of the manifold if I end up going this route. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
JT

[boats.net]

The metal would have to be cleaned out of cylinder before reassembling. Might try a air chisel to see if break it loose.