Cat 301.8 final drive lifetime seal leaking

[HomegrownRepair]

Hello everyone, this is my first post ever here but have found lots of knowledge in these threads so since i couldn't find anything on this topic, figured I would start my own. I have here a CAT 301.8 SN: BFA06004 that has a leaking lifetime seal. I have removed the final drive from the machine, and disassembled the valve block side of the drive. Flipped it to the cover side and found a large snap ring holding the cover on(cat service manual said remove twelve bolts and the cover comes off, yet sure it does ). i have removed the snap ring, and tried to tap the cover from the side to get it to pop off. It will not move. I did all my google research and youtube research, and i do not have a set screw in the side for the internal wire style retainer. But i still cannot seem to get this cover to come off. Any ideas? all help is appreciated!

 

[heymccall]

You'll need to fab a dent puller to fit the drain and fill holes and gently work between the two to get it moving.
And, yup, just one big wire (snap) ring #3 (they call it a clip).

 

[HomegrownRepair]

Yeah, that was my next thought, however I am guessing that this has been done before because some buggered up the threads in both drain holes. Might have to add a new cover to the parts list too.