Removing LQ4 bearing caps.

[Rhino]

I'm trying to take a look at a set of bearings in an LQ4 (GM Iron 6.0L) I'm using for a swap into my Avalanche. Not quite this forums specialty, however the Gen III motors are pretty prevalent here. I had the motor in yesterday, however noticed really low oil pressure. The motor is back out today, and I'm trying to check the bearings. I was told the motor was good, and judging by the bores I think it's in good condition. What I'm not sure of, however, is the cause of the low pressure.



The book is calling for a main cap remover, but that really isn't helping me much today. Does anyone know of a trick to removing the caps without the puller? I know on a traditional small block you can tap the cap forward and back a little to loosen it up. I didn't know if it would damage anything on these motors, so I thought I'd ask the experts first.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Knowing I probably couldn't do too much more damage I did pull the mains without the tool. Using a prybar, I very gently rocked the main cap back and forth a few times. Once I did that I could wiggle it out by hand. Unfortunately the worst case ended up coming true. The bearings have had a significant amount of trash run through them.