I have a tool that gets washers out of intakes very well! Its a long flex shaft with a two prong claw on the end that opens when you press the button.

 

Too funny.

 

From the outside it is pretty funny, tho. Sorry Derek!
On the plus side, you definitely turned a negative into a positive AND are thinking ahead about mods.
You do see how extremely easy it is to work on these motors. Even the wiring connectors are keyed to only go in one reciever ( except the 8 injector plugs ). Hard to mess it up.
Good job retrieving the spigot, let us know what you decide. Peace.