I recently installed a trans using the smaller ~$100 harbor freight trans jack, I do the same thing for raising the car as I do for header installs... put ramps under the front tires by either jacking the car up or driving on to them, can put a 2x4 across the top for added height... or bigger jack stands to get the same height as the ramps, then jack the rear up using bigger jack stands under the rear end axles, i have an older set that have triangle legs and use the pin through the shaft, extended they can be 28-30+" tall and are very sturdy, especially under the rear of the car thats lighter than the front.
Once the car is raised up, the trans is able to be put on the jack & wheeled under the car, then its easy to use the adjustable pan of the jack to tilt it to match the engine angle and slide it forward to engage the dowls on the engine, didnt need to make studs or any other extra tools, once it meets the trans you can make fine adjustments to the pad on the jack if needed & then just start the bolts.
The smaller HF trans jack works great for this and the car doesnt need to be that high up, if you cant get it high enough, slide the trans under the car on cardboard then with a helper lift it onto the jack while in the center of the trans tunnel area. I did this in a 2nd gen firebird and had no issues jacking it up high enough to slide the trans on the jack under the car.
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