I-5 oil pump

[Ameer Antar]

So it'll be a while before I get my pistons from JE, so I'm looking to get
the rest of the block ready. I haven't really done anything about the oil
pump, but I really don't know if I should. My motor is a KH block, so the
oil pump is a little different than the MC, but I think they're pretty
similar. Anyway, I can't get the oil pump gear cover plate off. It just has
phillips head screws, but even w/ a impact screw driver, the heads just
seem too soft. I don't want to have to worry about my oil pump on a rebuilt
motor, so I wanna at least take a peak. Any ideas or experience w/ this? Or
should  I just forget it? Thanks.

-Ameer