240Z: FS5W71C Transmission Clutch housing removed

Finally i found some time to go back to work in the garage. unfortunately i wasn’t that successfull. My goal was to completely disassemble the main parts of the 5-speed original transmission to check the gears. As you remember i have already removed the rear extension, so i started by removing all the securing bolts from the clutch housing:

Then it was easy to remove:

And off it is:

Next i removed the stopper ring on the main shaft bearing as suggested by the SR311 5-speed transmission manual.

Unfortunately i wasn’t able to remove the gear xase for whatever reason. it will move slightly but it’s somehow stuck. tried to hammer with a rubber and copper hammer as suggested by the manual but wasn’t able to remove it without hammering too hard. any suggestions here? i’m thankful for any useful input 🙂
BTW: rear extension is only put back to prevent the gears from damage during work 😉