For future reference, I've found it easiest to pull the tcase off the tranny, then pull the engine and tranny together, using a tilt gizmo on the hoist hook. I've pulled the engine only, but I dropped the tranny rear to get socket/extention room, and used another set of hands to set socket on upper BH bolts, except the one time I was alone and had to fish it into place by feel, tedious but not too bad. I use lower BH type thread bolts with the heads cut off for guide pins to align engine/tranny.

It's possible to align the clutch plate by eye, if your eye is finely calibrated.

I like to pull the heads off first, too, if only to cut down on the weight.

Ditto hood off and radiator removed, and add plywood shield for a/c condenser protection.

Beware torque converter install depth when bolting together again. Measure depth from engine plate to back bolt face of flwxplate, and make sure converter is seated that deep in tranny. Takes some fiddling to make it seat all three steps (step 1 is splines into converter, 2nd step is splines into something else, third step is slots on converter neck over tranny oil pump ears). if you get step three wrong, you break the oil pump gears when you cinch it up tight. Then the tranny is junk, if you run it that way, as the gear pieces get into the valve body.


Not responsible for advice not taken...