[Gary H]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

The funny thing is the engine and transmission was designed to be split apart in chassis by the the engineers to service either the engine, or the transmission separately. No service manual shows pulling them as an assembly that I've ever seen.

Pulling the whole assembly to service one, or the other makes a whole bunch of extra work. When I was 16 YO and was just beginning working on cars we used to pull the whole assembly, but as I got around professional mechanics they would wonder why I was doing a lot of extra work to pull both components, to work on only one. Took a lot of BS from the old guys early on.

I decided to try pulling one, or the other instead and found when your working against the clock for a paycheck, you split them in chassis, and remove only the part you need to. As I said I used to pull both, but stopped doing that after working flat rate as a mechanic.

I'm not saying it's better either way, but it is faster to split them in chassis. From 50 years of experience, the only way I'd put both in together is I was working on both at the same time, (as this situation is in the OPs car, both pieces are out already), With a lift, I'd probably install each part separately, and marry them in chassis. I do realize he doesn't have a lift in his garage.

I'm still not certain why you cant access the bell housing bolts in this scenario. I really don't like standing the whole assembly at a 45 degree angle to stab the transmission into the tunnel, then tilting it as you get the engine closer to the frame. Lifting the engine out nearly level without the transmission attached, you have a lot less clearance problems.

I also think that doing more modern drivelines without nearly as much weight on the rear is easier to balance. Consider when I first started working on cars that the had cast iron hydramatics weighing half of what the engine weighed, plus they were as long as a freight train, much harder to stab in a full size car as an assembly. I also got tired of the transmission fluid lake you inevitably get if you don't have a spare yoke, which many time we didn't as teens working in our parents garages.

Man my father used to get pissed when I did that in his garage at home...LOL, and he was a mechanic to make it worse, and he never filled the floor with transmission fluid when he did it.

I also have found it easier when you're alone, to do only one piece at a time. Doing both as an assembly is possible with one person, but easier with more.

Just to be clear, the original poster asked if you can put the engine and trans in at the same time. I, and others were responding to that.