Gene, thanks for the offer! Wish you were!!
I'm not a sledgehammer guy when I deconstruct things, that's why it takes me so long to do home improvements. If I can salvage a 2x4 by pulling a few nails, its one for my team. ;) I will keep all that is usable, but I know now that Ms. 213 is going nowhere for a very long time. I'm resizing the dinette cushions, and if I were to put it back, I would adjust to the cushion length.
The couch will be taken apart at the appropriate pivot/attachment points. I won't cut unless there is no alternative. I did peruse the mechanism after my wife suggested that mod, and it should be fairly easy. The new bed replacing the dinette has to be a box rather than using a couch frame because the entire electrical panel is mounted there. I don't like any of the alternatives that I have tried to think up for relocating it. I will probably get started next week, since our grandgirl is coming to stay for the weekend.