Starter Actuator Arm Removal

OK gang, anyone have any tricks to getting the plastic houseing from off the column?? I needed to replace the keylock cylinder after snapping off the ears (long story). Im pretty sure the actuator arm is fuxored and need to get a good look at it. unfortunitly i cant find any way to get the tilt steering arm out, nor any way to even remove the plastic houseing for the upper/lower column sections. Wheel is off, pretty sure the wires connecting to the white plastic houseing that sits in the center of the column are gonna get ripped off when i attempt to get the houseing off, theres just no disconnects for it. At any rate, im running out of daylite and could use some assist. Good ol Haynes is seriously lacking in details for this venture.. actually they missed my year all togeather and dont even have a section about removeing the actuator arm for the starter :bang:

Jumped in the jeep to head to a buddies adn turned the key, regular bells adn whistles came on, lights worked, turn to key to "Start" position and nada. It was running 10min before that. Havnt had any probs starting it. Figure the starter is shot or something came loose somehow. went to take the key out and it was stuck. Tried the ol wiggle till you jiggle and nothing. Key would turn forward(start/run)but wouldnt go into ACC. When trying to go into ACC mode I could see the lower end of the column buckeling out, just about where the rod goes into the starter, something was pushing the plastic houseing out. Of course about 10min of fiddleing with it, i did intellegent thing and pried the shat out of the keylock. El Snappo! ears popped right off and key still in there. Well, i got a new cylinder and put it in, but same thing. Cant go into ACC and wont start. Going to run over the electrical system with a DVM. Hopefully I can figure out why shes not starting all of a sudden, but i really need to expose the actuator arm and deal with that mess too..
Sorry my thinking is all over the place so this post might read like the Dead Sea Scrolls. :yuk:

TIA
Jeff

fyi- this is a shameless cut-n-paste from my original post elsewhere. Just hopeing to get as much imput as possible
Thanks!!!

Tilt steering or straight? Auto or stick? My shifter cover, is a little messed up, have to give the shifter an extra knock, into Park, before I can turn the key to lock and/or start. Never bothered to fix it, figured it would give an auto theif fits, before he figured it out.
Wifes 87, the auto shifter used to hang, found it full of coins, coke and McDonalds snap together toys.
Been a while, since I´ve removed the plastic housing. Most Chevy type housings, have a detent (poke a screwdriver in there) lock underneath, that has to be pushed, to allow you to slide the plastic housing.