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Back in about 1967 my dad taught me how to remove the pilot bushings from a small block Chevy crankshaft using a bar of Dial soap a brass punch and a hammer. And I have used that method several times over the years. Also works on Mopar pilot bearings or bushings.
I like the bar soap idea very much. I’ve used bread or modeling clay with grease when they’ve been stubborn (I’ve even had to split one with a chisel once, that was a bad time) but that sounds like it’s sure to work.