Removing transmission

I had to jack my engine up with a floor jack to get the rear of the tranny high enough to slip it past the crossmember.  It definately makes sense to seperate the engine at the bell housing.  At least you wont have to worry about the tail shaft tearing something up on the way out.

JR

I believe you already have the mainfold and heads off?  Hence no distributor in.  With all the top end gear off and the radiator out it's definately easier to take the engine and gearbox out in one piece.

The way I did it (after removing the top end) was remove the headers from the exhaust (I have "out the back" pipes) disconnect the shifter linkages (don't forget the reverse light switch) and speedo cable, undo the rear gearbox mount and two exhaust clamps holding the pipes to the bracket in between the gearbox mount and gearbox, drain the gearbox, undo all electrical connections to the engine, remove radiator and hood, undo the engine mounts (single bolt, but I didn't have to because the rubber on my mounts had parted company) carefully lift the engine and use the tilt mechanism as you pull the engine forward.  Support the gearbox with a jack to clear the crossmember and continue to lift, adjust tilt and pull forward until the harmonic balancer clears the radiator support, then you should be able to just lift and lift until the whole lot will clear the body.

I reckon I'll be putting it back in the same way as it's a lot easier to assemble the engine and gearbox while it's out of the car.

JMHO.  Which ever way you do it, you're gonna enjoy the work.

Everyone - I appreciate all of the advice. I still have the left head on the block (can't move the header out of the way to undo the lower bolts. I will pull both out as a unit. I'm going to put them back in as a unit too. I'm taking out the radiator to get it pressure tested and the radiator support to repaint, so I should have plenty of clearence. I'll take pictures along the way.