Tried to remove mine years ago and never had any luck. Tried again and still no luck. Local part/stock car engine builder guy says heat them red hot with a torch, splash water on them, come back in a few minutes and they will come out easily. Says he has done it thousands of times with no problem. The thought of that scares the hell out of me for some reason. I see cracked cast iron block for some reason. This guy has been arround for not quite as long as I have and normaly knows his stuff.