Lookslike the shift linkage must come off, too, and
it's attached to both the tranny and the crossmember.
It looks a little tricky, so I'll just have to take
notes on how I remove it. That crossmember really
does look heavy, too.

Since I can't drain the oil through the plug because
it won't screw out, I'm dreading this because the
fluid will have to leak out along the edges of the pan
before removal can be done. I'm hoping to get a plastic
hose into the filler pipe and suck some of that
fluid out first. Is this feasible or are there obstacles
there?

Boy, this is gonna be a two-man job, I think.