Yeah... I took the plug welds out with a torch. Then I used a carbide burr to clean up the hole I'd made to ensure there wasn't anything still holding... Then you press it out, which can be kinda complicated. A porta-power is the best way, I'd guess... But I didn't get that far with it (yet). I plan to put a large bottle jack inside the centre section to do it. Might work, might not.
To get the knuckles off the tubes, typically you can just grind the weld off, then beat them off with a hammer. They might be really tight, in which case you'll want to freeze the housing, then put a torch on the Cs and beat them... Most of them will just come off with a hammer.