Help request - fixing 4.5 battery box

[Trainstud]

I’m trying to get sets 181 and 182 running but 4.5v battery boxes have many poor connections (I’ve checked with multimeter).

I would like to fix but first I need to separate top piece of box from bottom piece to get at contacts. 

Question: how do I take apart a 4.5v battery box so I can adjust and clean bottom contacts? Is top piece glued to bottom piece?

thanks for any help you can give!

[sed6]

I found a similar thread here... Looks like he used a butter knife to carefully pry the top off the bottom.

 

[nw241]

Does anyone know hot to separate the upper portion of the battery car from its base? I have too much corrosion to be able to clean and fix with limited access through the roof. 
 

I see where the upper and lower portions are connected but don’t want to break anything. 

Edited November 26, 2023 by nw241