Main Rear Bearing Seal 77 CJ7

Hi guys... recently retired so now I have time to do some tinkering. The one thing I am doing is working on my 77 CJ7 with a straight 6. From the info I got, it looks like the rear bearing seal is leaking. I've remove everything but I'm stuck on something. I can't the top seal out. I've tried lightly tapping it as instructed in the Haynes manual and any Youtube instructional. On top of that, I swear it looks like it's metal... I have included a picture. Any advice would be appreciated as I'd really like to move forward on this project. It really seems to be in there tight which sure looks different from anyone doing this on youtube. Cheers, MarkAttachment 105031

Hello, welcome to Jeepkings.

You are doing everything right. Sometimes they can be stubborn to tap around the top side of the crank. As well, I have seen sealants and adhesives used when a rear main is installed that would make it even more difficult to tap out of there.

It is a steel embossed rubber seal and you are seeing the steel core. Just tap on it harder. There is no turning back now that the seal is damaged. It will come out if you can whack it hard enough.