Center Muffler (Resonator) removal
 

I am currently replacing my moms exhaust system from the cat back due to rust corroding the pipe between the two mufflers to the point that replacing only the rear muffler was no longer an option. The car is a 1987 300e. Once I loosened the two clamps holding the center muffler to the cat and released the 3 exhaust hangers, I was very surprised when the whole system did not separate from the cat. The rust and corosion was so bad that the rear muffler kind of broke off from the center one so it is no longer attached, just the center one. I just cant seem to get the center on detached from the cat. Is there some special trick to getting it off? The driver side coupling seems to be loose (the metal washer type thing inside spins) but the pasenger side one is what is giving me all the trouble. It seems like it is soldered together (judging by the makeup of the replacement seal I purchased). For those of you who have done this yourselves, is there a certain way to get the passenger side coupling to disengage? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
brockley