Do I need a hardened intermediate shaft for a HV oil pump?

This is simply not true. The more volume of oil you move, the more resistance you have. Very simple to test with a drill and a priming tool. The HV pump will have MUCH more resistance than a stock volume. If what you said above is true, there would be no for companies to make hardened oil pump shafts and no need to buy them. You are mistaken. Please don't give people wrong information. They might use it and destroy something. Just because you've done something for 35 years at 7K RPM doesn't make it right. You might try cracking a book now and then.

I definitely agree with you here, when I primed the oil pump with a drill I had to switch to a corded drill because my cordless drill didn't have enough power to turn it. And because I forgot to plug the oil pressure sender hole I had a geiser of oil shoot up straight in the air, funny now that it's all cleaned up!

I remember priming a standard oil pump in and it was much easier to turn. I will get a new hardened intermediate shaft today, and i'm sure it will fit the bushing.