1996 112 evinrude control box questions

I recently bought a center console with a 112 evinrude 1996 and the control box is in rough shape very stiff and on the port side.

Question #1:

Are the side mount control boxes able to be moved to the other side of the console and whats involved.

Question #2:

I called to get the part number for a replacement box and the number they gave me was 5006180 and at 367.47$ i'm hoping to find a used one or salvage the one I have. the concern I have is that the wiring harness appears to go all the way inside the control box and then to the engine no plugs in between and the guy said that my harness would plug into the new control box Am i missing something? Does anyone know where to get a used one? Is there a plug inside the control box?

Thanks in advance

Derick

if the length of the wiring that you have will still reach i would build a bracket(metal) that would bolt to the right side of the console...the lower part of the bracket would bolt to the console..then right above the area needed to bolt it on have a bend 90 degrees to the right....then double the thickness of the controls and bend the metal 90 degrees to the left..you need and area big enough to bolt the controls to and thats it...you have made a pocket where you can bolt the controls on exactly as they were mounted on the left side...drill some holes and you in business... it may cost you a few bucks to get it made but not 358 bucks..

the stiffness you are talking about...have you disconnected the control cables(shift and throttle) to see if that is where the bind is?

Yes the stiffness seems to be in the box itself that's why i was interested in a used but good one I just need to make sure if I order one there's a way to hook it to my harness

there is going to be some hard wiring to be done inside the controls...open it up and see if it just needs cleaning and some lub?

Open up the box , remove the cables and then see if cables are stiff or not.----Testing and inspection are a must do here.