91 Sunbird Waterpump Pulley removal

I am attempting to remove the pulley on a 91 sunbird with the 3.1 liter 6cyl motor. The haynes manual states that you should place a screw driver between the bolt heads for leverage prevent the pump from rotating while the bolts are removed. This did not work for me, does anyone have a better method?

You mean to get the pulley off?

Usually, I leave the accessory belt installed and loosen the bolts just a turn or two.
The belt and the engine should stop the pump from turning.
If the crankshaft starts to turn, you can hold it steady using a big socket and wrench on the big nut on the front of the crankshaft.

Once the bolts are loosened, remove the belt and you can remove the bolts more easily.

yes, I had removed the belt, but, then when I ran into the problem and the manual suggestion didn't work, I reinstalled the belt and tried that. The result was that the pulley turned. (the pulley for the water pump is dirven on the outer surface of the belt.

Could the bolts be reverse threaded, I would think they would come out easily, but I had to torque down on them and couldn't get them to budge.

I do not think they are reverse threaded.

Can you get an oil filter wrench on the pully, or a big strap-type wrench, to hold it steady?
You may need to get a buddy to hold the pully steady while you lean on the bolts.

That is my next try, thanks for your help