An update on my hydro project...
In anticipation of my shipment arriving this week me and a buddy started getting things ready. First order of business was to free up the existing steering cable since it has to come out. I took the big nut off the tube and to my surprise the rod was not stuck in the engine tube

and not frozen at the helm
So apparently the cable is stuck inside the whatchamadoodle, cable sheath or whatever you call it.
Oh well, no worries, all that crap is coming out! But I left it in so I could feed the hydro hoses

(Emphasis on CRAP!)
Next up, remove the wheel. I've removed about 4 or 5 stubborn wheels in the past with the 3/4 inch tapered shaft. They can be a pain in the tailbone! This one was no walk in the park. I thought I might be able to yank it off with help from my friend after spraying it down with some PB. No dice...she REEELY did not want to come off. Time to find that gear puller. Almost all of the wheels I've pulled in the past I've had to use a gear puller. Anyway, had a little bit of trouble with the puller slipping off and finally remembered to put the lock nut on the end of the shaft to hold the puller in place, but not before buggering up the threads a bit
Once the nut was on I tightened the gear puller and it was getting REEL tight, then BANG! It popped off

and the gear puller crashed to the fiberglass floor

and my buddy looked at me as if we had just ripped the entire console out
Then I removed the helm and bezel mount. At this point I am ready for to install the new steering. This evening I'm going to work on draining the +/- 10 gallons of old fuel and charge up the batteries. Then she needs a good cleaning, new racor filter, and the owner may need a bottle of champagne considering July 26th 2008 was the last successful voyage for me.
Wish me luck.