Contacted Mark about safely removing the weld that was blocking the rudder pedal. He recommended a rattail file so I bought a file set that included a collection of miniature files to handle the small radius. The results are shown in the two pictures.
I also asked how to get the axles to slide through both support tubes. I was able to slide the axles into either side on all pedals, but not through both at the same time on any of them. The recommendaton from both Bob and the factory was to get some bar stock and shove or hammer the tubes some to get them to line up. I determined that the inner supports all needed to rotate down on the inside and the outer supports needed to rotate in the same direction. I needed to stand and bounce gently on the pry bar to tweak things enough. In addition I needed to sand the remaining paint out of the support tubes. I also discovered that I could get the bar stock to go through both supports easily yet the axle would still bind. I checked and determined that the bar stock diameter (purchased on at Lowes) was 0.497" while the axles were about 0.505". So the difference was less than 0.01" (0.25mm) but still significant.
I was able to get all axles installed (see next entry). I still need to clean up the support tubes, lubricated the parts and drill for the cotter pin. However I want to let the frame settle and make sure the axles don't bind after sitting.
