Re: Easier to remove tranny and t-case first?
I don't really know the answer to that question. Considering that I want to use the entire drivetrain from the donor vehicle, not just the engine, I never seriously thought through for myself how much work it would be to separate the engine from the transmission, and based on what I have read on forums and what a real mechanic told me, it's a very tough job while the drivetrain is in the vehicle, so I just ruled it out as an option. The mechanic said that you have to have all the wobble sockets, u-joint socket adapters, extensions, etc., that they make, and even then the way the engine is positioned so far back into the engine compartment, under the cowl, makes it really difficult to get to those bolts. I have only swapped one other engine in my life, from a 1973 Dodge Charger with a 318, and I just did the engine, and I always regretted that I didn't just pull the whole drivetrain, because in hindsight I think it would have been easier. (I also replaced a transmission by itself, in a 1973 Plymouth 'Cuda, and that was way harder than pulling an engine, and I wished even more during that nightmare that I had just pulled the whole drivetrain.)
Considering the pros and cons, the major con to keeping the drivetrain together is that you have to remove the bumper, radiator, A/C condensor, etc. from the front of the vehicle to make room. However, I have done that before and I know how to do it. It takes some time but it's actually kind of simple. Plus, the bumper cover on my recipient vehicle is cracked (the entire driver's side fog lamp is broken off), and as it turns out the front bumper cover from my donor vehicle, while the wrong color, is still intact, because it was removed before the wreck to make room for an aftermarket bumper. If I coordinate this right, I might be able to get that painted and put onto the vehicle as part of the engine swap.
Plus another thing is that I plan to pull the busted drivetrain out with the wiring harness still attached - it is attached to both the engine and transmission - and then move the harness over to the new drivetrain before installing it. That will mean less work to get the new drivetrain hooked up and running after installation, and the work I will be avoiding includes a lot of laying on the ground or reaching into corners, blind, trying to plug stuff in, which I hate.
I'm not saying I'm completely right, it's just that I'm satisfied in how I'm doing it. In other situations, for people with different levels of expertise and experience (i.e., people who are less ignorant then I am), it might have made sense to do it a different way. I'm interested in hearing the opinions of others on this topic.