Gentelmen

According to my manual for a 1988 560SL. In removing the intake manifold I am supposed to remove the mixture control unit first. In doing this after about an hour of pulling and prying, I cracked the rubber manifold ($50.00) that connect the Mixture Control Unit to the Throttle valve. I then removed the upper portion of the intake manifold, removed the EGR tube and then removed the lower manifold

When I got everything off it appeared to me that I could have left the whole thing together and removed the manifold with the EGR tube attached assuming I could manipulate the assembly with the EGR tube arround the head. With the assembly on the bench I would have had a access to the rubber manifold and been better able to remove it without damage. Does this sound like a more likely proceedure. Should I try to install it as an assembly?

Thank You
John Roncallo