79 911 ignition dist service

[outsider347]

I have my distributor almost all apart for cleaning/lube

The Vacc advance unit, Vacc advance plates, coil, spider circlips, steel shims & pinion gear are all removed,

I'd like to get the main shaft out of the housing. Shaft moves up to past the pinion pin hole, but stops.
Maybe getting stuck on the inner seal??
Not a fan of pounding the dist shaft out

Wondering if I missed anything?
tks