Your 5/16 hex head taped to your socket wrench will allow you to attach. the rod, and move to oil pump placement try that

 

You're on the right track, gweedo295. I had a very similar problem with a 302 engine many years ago. The shop that rebuilt the long block did not reinstall the keeper on the oil pump drive rod. But I didn't know that. Once I got the engine back into the car, before I started it I pulled the distributor so that I could pre-oil the engine by manually running the oil pump. When I pulled the distributor, the oil pump drive rod got hung in the bottom of the distributor shaft and pulled partially out of the engine, then came loose and fell back in... cockeyed... and it went past the oil pump, partially down into the oil pan, and wedged itself into place! I couldn't get it back out of the engine, no matter what I tried. I just couldn't grab the end of the rod. It was too deep and wedged into place. So I had to undo the engine mounts, jack up the engine using my floor jack and a wooden 2x6 block with a round notch cut into one end inserted under the crankshaft pulley, unbolt and drop the oil pan as far as I could, and reach my hand up in there and push the drive rod up far enough that an assistant was able to grab the end of it with long, skinny needle nose pliers and pull it out of the engine. Gawd, what a nightmare that was! To reinstall the drive rod, I slipped a piece of thin rubber tubing over the end of the rod and lowered it carefully into place and got it to mate up with the oil pump socket, then I inserted a long, thin screwdriver down into the rubber tubing to hold the drive rod in place while I pulled the rubber tubing off. Then I was able to pre-oil the engine as planned. I did have to be very careful pulling the socket off the drive rod after I finished pre-oiling. That engine has since been rebuilt again. I told the shop that the drive rod keeper was missing, but I don't know if they remembered to install one. I'm about to find out because I have to pull the distributor to pre-oil the engine! At least I know what to do if the drive rod pulls out.

 

I tried that but there isn’t enough room to move the socket around. I just rent from the hardware store. Picked thin wall plastic tubing. Gonna try n heat to mold around rod, if I get it in I will use a small wood dowel n slip it down the tube n keep pressure on the rod n pull off the tube. Hope it works, if not I’ll try greasing the socket but I think the rod will be too heavy. Let u know what happens.

 

Well I tried uploading a photo of the tool I made but it won’t finish.
so I used a thin wall plastic tube slightly smaller than the pump rod. I heated it n slid it onto the rod n let it cool. I made sure the plastic held the rod. First try went straight in I used a small wood dowel n slid it down the tube, I kept pressure on the rod n pulled the tube up. Stabbed the new distributor n its running great.

thanks again for all the responses.

 

Well done! Congratulations! Necessity is the mother of invention.