38 Olds: Harrison Heater Help

[cron1984]

Good Evening,

Quick thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge, especially all the guys with threads on their pre-war projects. This forum has been a great source of information and inspiration as I restore my Grandfather’s 38 Olds. 
I’m currently rewiring and cleaning up the Harrison heater. I was able to disassemble and solder new wiring in the blower motor, however the defroster motor is giving me some fits, I can’t seem to get the stator out of the motor housing. The armature spins freely and I can get it to pull out of the brushes, but the stator won’t budge. The plastic plate restricts my vision and I don’t want to force anything and break something. Not sure if the notches in the housing are holding it in there or if it’s just 80+ years of crud. I’ve attached some pictures that will hopefully look familiar to some folks (taped the shaft to keep from losing those washers)
thank you again,

Chris.