1994 Dodge Dakota Starter

I've been having problems with the starter that seem to be a bad spot in the starter motor so i'm changing it out. It took my father and I 2 hours to get the bolt and nut (threaded stud on bottom) off of it since the 4WD diffy, drive shaft etc. Are all in the way. We then wiggled, banged on, pried etc. To try and get the starter out with no luck (6 hours). I've soaked into the gap with WD40 and PB Blaster to try and loosen up whatever may be holding things up. It seems loose enough to get about an eigth inch wiggle and no more. There seems to be something holding it up on the bottom near the threaded stud. That area is impossible to see from any humanly possible angle. We've tried bumping the starter (turning on the ignition briefly) and i'm fairly certain that there is no hangup of the bindex to the flywheel. The bindex housing may be another story but I have no way of knowing. Any suggestions as to what may be hanging up the starter?