Make sure you remove the bolts that go up through the oil pan,remove the ballancer,and once you're absolutely sure all the bolts are out,tap it with a rubber mallet,or gently pry it off.Good luck.
I just used a big screwdriver to break the gasket seal, then carefully pulled the cover off so I could reuse the oil pan gasket. Its a little tricky putting the cover back on later with the original pan gasket, but easier than using the little gasket piece that comes in the FelPro kit
well i got it off...in 5 peices. split right down the middle and then it crumbled. thankfully a new one was in the budget. while im at it a new timing set will be installed. thanks for the help.