Removing Starter...never heard of this issue before

I unbolted the two vertical bolts holding it in place and pulled the shims. The starter is loose and has a lot of play in it but it will not drop out. Could it possible be caught in the motor fly wheel? It's an '87 xj 2.5L 5 Speed. Any help would be greatly appreciated...

after 3 days of investigating at some point a previous owner installed a newer 2.5L engine im guessing its an early 90's. When someone replaced the starter last they used a starter for an '87 xj. I had to remove the muffler pipe and oil pan to remove the starter. Got a new (shorter) starter in after i resealed my oil pan.

Whooda thunk that?