This is what it looks like. If you see this above the spacer ring, take it off. Makes it all easier.

Right now it's 10pm but I got this off (using some allen wrenches for the underside bolts) and was able to use a cold chisel to rotate the ring a bit, which opened a tiny gap on the top left side, where I then used a small screw driver and my ballpeen hammer to wedge through. That then pushed the seal off a bit. I still have a ways to go, but from here it's a bit more realistic. Without the 90 degree angle of attack, I would not have been able to do this. Even compared to bending some screwdriver tips, it's still easier to have the extra room.

So far I'm just using gradually larger and larger things to hit with the hammer on the backside of the spacer, to wedge it forward. It's on way too tight for screwdrivers to work, and I'm wanting to avoid a propane torch given that there is oil everywhere.