1973 Merc 1150 shift rod

[murrayfish]

How do I remove/replace the shift rod? The female end of the spline that connects to the lower unit is messed up and I can't get the two together.
I see what looks like a drift pin at the top of the rod where is connects to the shift linkage. Can I just punch that out and pull the rod out the bottom?

 

[Chris1956]

Well, the first thing is to see what replacement parts are avail. I think both ends are pinned to the upper shift rod. I presume it cannot be touched up with a small file?