Those pics help a lot. I'm a bit saddened I didn't figure that out. I figured the gear was pressed on and those 2 holes were for some kind of pulling tool.
I was cleaning the block last night and noticed a small brass plate rivitted to the back end with "Remanufactured" and some numbers on it. Is that a common thing for machine shops to do? I attached a pre-cleaned image of it below.
I'm sure it doesn't matter but I tried googling it and found nothing of certainty.
I'll let you know how it goes at the shop tomorrow.
