In the middle of a clutch job on my 1984 longbed pickup, have removed the 7 bolts for the rear oil seal retainer (to replace the rear oil seal) and the retainer is not exactly coming out easily. I don't wedge a screwdriver in the crack and I'm not sure if I should whack it to break it loose. The books I have make it seem like a very easy job (just remove it and replace the seal, they sez, just like that!) but these same manuals (including some online ones) don't mention the gasket behind the retainer nor what the torque is for the bolts.
I don't see any lips I can use for leverage and by the sound I can tell the retainer is slightly loose...but it isn't budging. Any suggestions or tricks for getting it out. Also, the books don't mention the retainer gasket, is this a dealer item or can the old one be reused if it is good?
jc