Any recommendations for a transmission jack and process?

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

71 C-10, 402 & 400TH

First time doing this. This is a complete take-off & the body is off the frame.

I'm leaning toward a transmission jack. My floor jack won't take an adapter because the saddle is fixed. Even if it did, seems there are advantages having a dedicated jack. Unless I'm off course, I plan to support the engine with an engine hoist, pull the transmission, and then pull the engine.

Any recommendations for a transmission jack?

Any advice on how to pull the transmission?


Thank you.

[68gmsee]

It's been many years since I did an r&r on an automatic transmission. It was a TH350 and I used a floor jack with a 12"X12" piece of plywood on top. I basically just balanced the tranny on it. An assistant would help if you can find one. It also helps to drain all the fluid and wrap a cloth on the back end to keep residual fluid from dripping.

Last year I bought a Harbor Freight transmission jack for some work on a Ford ranger 5 speed manual. Not the best but worked okay for my purpose.

I have also rented one from local rent all places.

[geezer#99]

If the body is out of he way, pull the motor/tranny as one unit.

[mongocanfly]

^^^^ agreed^^^^ use engine hoist if body is off...
you could always use the harbor freight rule...buy from them if you only gonna use it a few times...buy a good one if you plan on using it a bunch

[Killer Bee]

trans jacks have a few features that make them far superior for the task over standard floor jacks..

• wider bases for stability
• all four wheels caster 360° for positioning and alignment
• lifting table 2 axis tilt adjustments for alignment
• safety chains to anchor trans to jack for stability

that said, I doubt you'll ever need a trans jack for your project.. trans jacks are primarily suited to r&r transmissions out of and in to fully assembled, running vehicles..

pro tip; remove yoke from driveline or procure similar for tool use purposes, and tie back to trans to keep fluid in.. even after draining an auto trans, when tilted enough, they will continue to dribble out the rear seal..

pro tip; loosen all of the converter bolts leaving only two snug for safety reasons.. when separating the trans later out of the vehicle, this will eliminate most of the wrestling around trying to keep rotating assembly from turning to break them loose.. leave two snug so when you forget the converter bolts were removed, you don't drop the converter on your foot when you separate them.. if you do remember, you can remove the two finger tight bolts, seat converter into trans and separate, removing converter from trans manually without damaging input..

I'll mention this here although it refers to reassembly.. seat the converter into the trans input fully and then join trans case to the engine block.. then align converter bolts to flexplate, pulling converter out just enough to meet and tighten.. never a good idea to mount converter to flexplate and attempt alignment while joining trans case to engine..

in most cases where the engine is being removed, it's less overall trouble to remove the trans with it and separate them on the bench/floor.. hoist leveling adjustment bars on the engine hoist with anchor chains positioned front and rear of the engine block/heads should allow more than ample tilt angle to clear front core supports when body is not removed.. in your case with body removed, balance point shifted more to the rear of the engine will offset the trans weight and should lift straight up and out..

when I lift engine and trans assemblies out together, I usually lower the trans onto a wood pallet or something similar to support the trans and separate the engine near level so not to force misalignment on trans input..

you may even find some youtube videos demonstrating different processes so you can see what the evolution looks like..

good luck!

[truckster]

After many years of using a floor jack and just practicing my bench press to install transmissions I finally bought a HF transmission jack about four years ago. No, it's not the greatest, but it gets the job done. It's adjustable in three axes, and the first transmission I installed with it had me shaking my head. I lined it up and it slid right in, so I knew something had to be wrong. I pulled it back out, and it slid back in again. So I got out from under the car, took a break, and went back to it. It slid right in the third time, so I bolted it up and finished the installation. I just couldn't believe how easy having a transmission jack made the job.

[68gmsee]

If you do remove the engine or are planning to remove it anyway, I agree with above to remove them as a unit if possible.

When I've done it this way I've always removed the radiator. Only takes a few minutes to remove but if damaged you're out $100-$200.

[Keith Seymore]

I have a transmission jack and don't prefer it.

It is the scissor type. Going down is ok, but going up it wants to veer off to one side or the other, eventually dumping the trans off the pad.

I have gone back to using my hydraulic floor jack. I had made a special base that replaces the pad on the floor jack and encapsulates the trans pan but I don't prefer it either. Simply balancing the trans on the floor jack seems to give me the most freedom to maneuver the trans where I want it.

K

[jbarron]

motorcycle jack works pretty good for this

[mongocanfly]

I cheat...I got a 2 post lift and a high lift trans jack....worth its weight in gold...

[GASoline71]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

It's been many years since I did an r&r on an automatic transmission. It was a TH350 and I used a floor jack with a 12"X12" piece of plywood on top. I basically just balanced the tranny on it. An assistant would help if you can find one. It also helps to drain all the fluid and wrap a cloth on the back end to keep residual fluid from dripping.

Done it this way so many times, I can get a transmission out of one of these trucks or a GM A-body in about a half hour by myself.

Gary

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by geezer#99

If the body is out of he way, pull the motor/tranny as one unit.

...I've heard you could do this using as little as a carb. plate on a cast iron manifold. Makes me a bit nervous for some reason. OT, I hear a transmission & torque converter weighs in @ 155ish.

Originally Posted by Killer Bee

.

I doubt you'll ever need a trans jack for your project.. trans jacks are primarily suited to r&r transmissions out of and in to fully assembled, running vehicles... I try to buy the right tools to make the job easy as possible. I tend to make mountains of molehills until once done. Yeah, it's expensive. There's a space issue as well. I'm not young, nor a large guy either, if that makes sense. I may have my brother for help. He's not that healthy. That said, you guys may have talked me out of a transmission jack.


pro tip; remove yoke from driveline or procure similar for tool use purposes, and tie back to trans to keep fluid in.. even after draining an auto trans, when tilted enough, they will continue to dribble out the rear seal... Sounds like a plan.

pro tip; loosen all of the converter bolts leaving only two snug for safety reasons.. when separating the trans later out of the vehicle, this will eliminate most of the wrestling around trying to keep rotating assembly from turning to break them loose.. leave two snug so when you forget the converter bolts were removed, you don't drop the converter on your foot when you separate them.. if you do remember, you can remove the two finger tight bolts, seat converter into trans and separate, removing converter from trans manually without damaging input. You may have lost me. Are you referring to the flex plate to converter bolts? Speak of flex plate bolts, two are easy access. I don't begin to know how to get to the others.


I'll mention this here although it refers to reassembly.. seat the converter into the trans input fully and then join trans case to the engine block.. then align converter bolts to flexplate, pulling converter out just enough to meet and tighten.. never a good idea to mount converter to flexplate and attempt alignment while joining trans case to engine. Yikes, I don't know what a transfer case is. I got homework to do.

in most cases where the engine is being removed, it's less overall trouble to remove the trans with it and separate them on the bench/floor.. hoist leveling adjustment bars on the engine hoist with anchor chains positioned front and rear of the engine block/heads should allow more than ample tilt angle to clear front core supports when body is not removed.. in your case with body removed, balance point shifted more to the rear of the engine will offset the trans weight and should lift straight up and out.. You guys talked me into pulling the engine/trans together using the heads. I have an equalizer etc.. Let's say I lay these on the floor, carefully. Doesn't damage the oil pan huh? Also, if it's on the floor, at the moment I can't visualize how to remove the transmission from the engine.

when I lift engine and trans assemblies out together, I usually lower the trans onto a wood pallet or something similar to support the trans and separate the engine near level so not to force misalignment on trans input.. Good advice, I'll provide for that.

[mongocanfly]

on the flex plate/torque converter bolts...you'll need to rotate engine (not cranking) to get to the rest of the bolts..

transfer case ...refers to 4 wheel drive vehicles. .it transfers driven power to the front axle

on lifting as a whole unit ...I would be leary of pulling engine and trans with only a carb lift plate..that's a chunk of weight...lift with accessory bolt holes on each head front and back..

sitting a engine and trans on the floor is no problem..engine by itself will not sit upright..youll need to put wood blocks or something under at the front of oil pan to hold it upright

seperating engine and trans on floor is no issue..remove the 6 trans to engine bolts and slide it back..its on dowels so it may stick a little till it clears the dowels

[Killer Bee]

I'll try replying like that.. apologies for the long winded wall of text but hopefully clears things up a little bit for you

Originally Posted by 71CHEVYSHORTBED402

...I've heard you could do this using as little as a carb. plate on a cast iron manifold. Makes me a bit nervous for some reason. OT, I hear a transmission & torque converter weighs in @ 155ish.
mentioned above, carb plate adapters might be ok for lifting engine assemblies by themselves around the shop but not a good idea for engine and transmission coupled together or even to remove the engine from the vehicle.. besides awkward and reduced adjustability, it's more dangerous.. safer to attach chains to the largest bolt holes in the ends of the heads or block available.. typically 3/8" bracket holes front of one head and rear of the opposite head.. original engine may still have sling eyes bolted to the heads through intake bolts or ends of heads that can be useful.. bolt chains together and avoid hooks when working in vehicles by yourself especially.. loads can get twisted or caught up where you can't see them and hooks can get loose when you're not watching or laying on the floor kicking the jack handle of the cherry picker with one foot and pushing the cherry picker forward with the other foot.. probably not an issue if you're lifting everything out with body off but food for thought..


I doubt you'll ever need a trans jack for your project.. trans jacks are primarily suited to r&r transmissions out of and in to fully assembled, running vehicles... I try to buy the right tools to make the job easy as possible. I tend to make mountains of molehills until once done. Yeah, it's expensive. There's a space issue as well. I'm not young, nor a large guy either, if that makes sense. I may have my brother for help. He's not that healthy. That said, you guys may have talked me out of a transmission jack. yah, transmission jack is really only useful when removing and replacing a transmission by itself in fully assembled vehicles.. if the engine is coming out, typically much easier to pull the transmission with it and separate them outside the vehicle.. allows for cleaning and inspection and definitely easier separation and reassembly.. dropping a converter on your foot ot the floor is much better than trying to catch it over your head.. not trying to scare you by mentioning this more than once but if this is your first one, it's probably going to be a surprise when you separate the transmission for the engine and some fumbling may ensue.. but don't worry, just be paying attention to your body position, feet, and hands and you'll do just fine


pro tip; remove yoke from driveline or procure similar for tool use purposes, and tie back to trans to keep fluid in.. even after draining an auto trans, when tilted enough, they will continue to dribble out the rear seal... Sounds like a plan. yah, no matter WHAT you do short of plugging the output shaft seal opening with an output shaft, those doggone things will dribble everywhere.. duct tape, electrical tape, tape and baggies, baggies and trash bags and tape, etc. never seem to work and just creates more messy trash to clean up after.. and since dragging a fully assembled driveline around the back of the transmission isn't practical and most folks are going to replace the driveline u-joints during overhaul anyways, might as well use the yoke as a tool.. but keep in mind it is heavy so restrain it to the transmission with some small line, heavy duty zip ties, etc..

pro tip; loosen all of the converter bolts leaving only two snug for safety reasons.. when separating the trans later out of the vehicle, this will eliminate most of the wrestling around trying to keep rotating assembly from turning to break them loose.. leave two snug so when you forget the converter bolts were removed, you don't drop the converter on your foot when you separate them.. if you do remember, you can remove the two finger tight bolts, seat converter into trans and separate, removing converter from trans manually without damaging input. You may have lost me. Are you referring to the flex plate to converter bolts? Speak of flex plate bolts, two are easy access. I don't begin to know how to get to the others. yes, I was referring to the six converter bolts through the flexplate.. these bolts are unique in strength and shape.. they're flanged head hex bolts typical, and fastened through the flexplate into thread bosses welded on the converter shell, no nuts.. the engine has to be barred over [rotated] to reveal all six bolts through the access/inspection opening underneath between the transmission case and the engine block.. these bolts are tight and the engine will want to turn while breaking them loose and ironically the engine can be difficult to turn when you're trying to access the next bolt.. so typically, barring the engine over and breaking these six bolts loose is easier with the engine and transmission still in the vehicle because it's solidly mounted and the rotational efforts are easier to manage such as barring the engine or holding it still to break the bolts loose.. you can remove four of them leaving only two hand tight until you're ready to separate the the transmission from the engine when the assembly is outside the vehicle.. you'll see when you get under there.. and you may ask yourself, why not separate the transmission case from the engine and remove the converter after.. that can be risky, can cause damage to the transmission input by misalignment that may not be revealed until after final reassembly.. what a bummer, ask me how I know.. short cuts generally never are.. general rule, remove and install the converter directly to the transmission input to ensure full smooth alignment and engagement..


I'll mention this here although it refers to reassembly.. seat the converter into the trans input fully and then join trans case to the engine block.. then align converter bolts to flexplate, pulling converter out just enough to meet and tighten.. never a good idea to mount converter to flexplate and attempt alignment while joining trans case to engine. Yikes, I don't know what a transfer case is. I got homework to do. my apologies for over abbreviating.. I was only referring to the transmission.. as Mongo mentioned, transfer cases are typically four wheel drive specific and they divide power output from the transmission to the front and rear axles.. generally close coupled to the transmission output side and providing a front and rear output for the two drivelines.. transfer cases often also have high and low gear ranges in four wheel drive to offer deeper gear reduction in 4x but generally only have high range in 2x or 1:1 ratio meaning no influence.. I think I covered the importance of the order of disassembly/reassembly above..

in most cases where the engine is being removed, it's less overall trouble to remove the trans with it and separate them on the bench/floor.. hoist leveling adjustment bars on the engine hoist with anchor chains positioned front and rear of the engine block/heads should allow more than ample tilt angle to clear front core supports when body is not removed.. in your case with body removed, balance point shifted more to the rear of the engine will offset the trans weight and should lift straight up and out.. You guys talked me into pulling the engine/trans together using the heads. I have an equalizer etc.. Let's say I lay these on the floor, carefully. Doesn't damage the oil pan huh? Also, if it's on the floor, at the moment I can't visualize how to remove the transmission from the engine. Mongo already covered this but I'll add a coupe of things.. the rear of the engine block has two large dowels that the transmission case [bell housing] aligns on when coupled together.. these dowels are tight fit to ensure engine crankshaft and transmission input shaft centerline.. very important to mind these dowels and do not mutilate or remove them.. so because of the snug fit, the transmission case may not simply fall off the back of the engine block, it may have to be persuaded and may break away swiftly.. this is why we keep the converter on the transmission and remove the remaining hand tight torque converter bolts just before separating..

when I lift engine and trans assemblies out together, I usually lower the trans onto a wood pallet or something similar to support the trans and separate the engine near level so not to force misalignment on trans input.. Good advice, I'll provide for that. when the engine and transmission assembly is clear of the vehicle, leveled, and lowered close to the floor, you'll be able to see the height differences between the two sump pans.. I use a wood pallet or blocks to give the transmission a smooth place to slide on so I don't fumble the converter or damage anything.. this platform only needs to be high enough for the transmission to land on while the engine sump is still off the ground.. remember, the lifting attachments are both on the engine so it will swing away when gently nudged from the transmission resting firmly on its pallet, work bench, whatever fits in your environment.. you may also have to adjust the leveling device on your chains, you'll be able to tell when you start to loosen the transmission case bolts.. this method keeps the transmission still and consequently the converter should stay put.. a helper may be a good idea for the first one so you each can manage the major components.. once the engine is free, the converter is verified still fully inserted or fully removed by hand, the engine can be parked on a piece of wood on the floor with only slight pressure on the sump to hold it still.. you can shoot the flex plate bolts off of the crankshaft with an impact for less wrestling around or plant the engine a little firmer on some wood blocks, insert the sump pan through a large tire, multiple methods will do.. once the flexplate is removed, you can mount your engine stand brackets to the back of the engine block and hoist it up to the stand.. and voila, easy peasy

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

on the flex plate/torque converter bolts...you'll need to rotate engine (not cranking) to get to the rest of the bolts..

transfer case ...refers to 4 wheel drive vehicles. .it transfers driven power to the front axle

on lifting as a whole unit ...I would be leary of pulling engine and trans with only a carb lift plate..that's a chunk of weight...lift with accessory bolt holes on each head front and back..

sitting a engine and trans on the floor is no problem..engine by itself will not sit upright..youll need to put wood blocks or something under at the front of oil pan to hold it upright

seperating engine and trans on floor is no issue..remove the 6 trans to engine bolts and slide it back..its on dowels so it may stick a little till it clears the dowels

Thank you. When it's on the ground I'll support the block with the hoist as well. Once the transmission off I'm mounting the block onto a stand. Getting ready to pull the brakes first. I've removed near everything off the truck, yet to this day I've never done a brake job. Then comes the suspension & drive shaft. Then engine and transmission, and the ground up begins.

And yeah, the carb plate is out. I think Ill skip the transmission jack as well.

I'm off to ponder Killer Bees instruction before a proper response. Wholly cow. This is all great info., very helpful.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

...I've heard you could do this using as little as a carb. plate on a cast iron manifold. Makes me a bit nervous for some reason. OT, I hear a transmission & torque converter weighs in @ 155ish.

mentioned above, carb plate adapters might be ok for lifting engine assemblies by themselves around the shop but not a good idea for engine and transmission coupled together or even to remove the engine from the vehicle.. besides awkward and reduced adjustability, it's more dangerous.. safer to attach chains to the largest bolt holes in the ends of the heads or block available.. typically 3/8" bracket holes front of one head and rear of the opposite head.. original engine may still have sling eyes bolted to the heads through intake bolts or ends of heads that can be useful.. bolt chains together and avoid hooks when working in vehicles by yourself especially.. loads can get twisted or caught up where you can't see them and hooks can get loose when you're not watching or laying on the floor kicking the jack handle of the cherry picker with one foot and pushing the cherry picker forward with the other foot.. probably not an issue if you're lifting everything out with body off but food for thought...........

Lots of food for thought. Turns out I do have I believe what you call sling eyes (pictured). One to the RH head bolt, I believe the hole nearest the distributor, and one for the manifold, near the front LH (truck side) corner. Sounds like the one on the head can be of use. On a side, I see where they busted a bolt, at the, top rear LH head, nearest the LH fender. May have been to move the engine. Unless I'm mistaken, that bolt hole is not used for any components or retainers. If I'm wrong, I'd like to tap it out. They drilled it out. The heads are vintage replacements. Perhaps off a higher performance 60s block. Word is they came off a 396 with 10:1 compression.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

I doubt you'll ever need a trans jack for your project.. trans jacks are primarily suited to r&r transmissions out of and in to fully assembled, running vehicles.....................I try to buy the right tools to make the job easy as possible. I tend to make mountains of molehills until once done. Yeah, it's expensive. There's a space issue as well. I'm not young, nor a large guy either, if that makes sense. I may have my brother for help. He's not that healthy. That said, you guys may have talked me out of a transmission jack.

yah, transmission jack is really only useful when removing and replacing a transmission by itself in fully assembled vehicles.. if the engine is coming out, typically much easier to pull the transmission with it and separate them outside the vehicle.. allows for cleaning and inspection and definitely easier separation and reassembly.. dropping a converter on your foot ot the floor is much better than trying to catch it over your head.. not trying to scare you by mentioning this more than once but if this is your first one, it's probably going to be a surprise when you separate the transmission for the engine and some fumbling may ensue.. but don't worry, just be paying attention to your body position, feet, and hands and you'll do just fine............. . Noted
_____________________________________________________________________________________

pro tip; remove yoke from driveline or procure similar for tool use purposes, and tie back to trans to keep fluid in.. even after draining an auto trans, when tilted enough, they will continue to dribble out the rear seal..............Sounds like a plan.

yah, no matter WHAT you do short of plugging the output shaft seal opening with an output shaft, those doggone things will dribble everywhere.. duct tape, electrical tape, tape and baggies, baggies and trash bags and tape, etc. never seem to work and just creates more messy trash to clean up after.. and since dragging a fully assembled driveline around the back of the transmission isn't practical and most folks are going to replace the driveline u-joints during overhaul anyways, might as well use the yoke as a tool.. but keep in mind it is heavy so restrain it to the transmission with some small line, heavy duty zip ties, etc..

I'm restoring the drive shaft as well. By the time I get to the engine and transmission, nothing else will be left on the frame but the crossmembers. I'm a little confused about plugging up the output shaft with an output shaft, so I added an image for clarification. Sounds to me once the U-joints are separated, just use the shaft that's already there.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

pro tip; loosen all of the converter bolts leaving only two snug for safety reasons.. when separating the trans later out of the vehicle, this will eliminate most of the wrestling around trying to keep rotating assembly from turning to break them loose.. leave two snug so when you forget the converter bolts were removed, you don't drop the converter on your foot when you separate them.. if you do remember, you can remove the two finger tight bolts, seat converter into trans and separate, removing converter from trans manually without damaging input................You may have lost me. Are you referring to the flex plate to converter bolts? Speak of flex plate bolts, two are easy access. I don't begin to know how to get to the others.

yes, I was referring to the six converter bolts through the flexplate.. these bolts are unique in strength and shape.. they're flanged head hex bolts typical, and fastened through the flexplate into thread bosses welded on the converter shell, no nuts.. the engine has to be barred over [rotated] to reveal all six bolts through the access/inspection opening underneath between the transmission case and the engine block.. these bolts are tight and the engine will want to turn while breaking them loose and ironically the engine can be difficult to turn when you're trying to access the next bolt.. so typically, barring the engine over and breaking these six bolts loose is easier with the engine and transmission still in the vehicle because it's solidly mounted and the rotational efforts are easier to manage such as barring the engine or holding it still to break the bolts loose.. you can remove four of them leaving only two hand tight until you're ready to separate the the transmission from the engine when the assembly is outside the vehicle.. you'll see when you get under there.. and you may ask yourself, why not separate the transmission case from the engine and remove the converter after.. that can be risky, can cause damage to the transmission input by misalignment that may not be revealed until after final reassembly.. what a bummer, ask me how I know.. short cuts generally never are.. general rule, remove and install the converter directly to the transmission input to ensure full smooth alignment and engagement...........

What a bummer indeed. Say, my converter appears to only have three bolts and bosses. Variances C-10 Vs ? or transmissions? There are however 6 bolts to the whatchucallit? included in the picture mentioned above.
_____________________________________________________________________________________


I'll mention this here although it refers to reassembly.. seat the converter into the trans input fully and then join trans case to the engine block.. then align converter bolts to flexplate, pulling converter out just enough to meet and tighten.. never a good idea to mount converter to flexplate and attempt alignment while joining trans case to engine. Yikes, I don't know what a transfer case is.............I got homework to do.

my apologies for over abbreviating.. I was only referring to the transmission.. as Mongo mentioned, transfer cases are typically four wheel drive specific and they divide power output from the transmission to the front and rear axles.. generally close coupled to the transmission output side and providing a front and rear output for the two drivelines.. transfer cases often also have high and low gear ranges in four wheel drive to offer deeper gear reduction in 4x but generally only have high range in 2x or 1:1 ratio meaning no influence.. I think I covered the importance of the order of disassembly/reassembly above....... And appreciated.
_____________________________________________________________________________________


in most cases where the engine is being removed, it's less overall trouble to remove the trans with it and separate them on the bench/floor.. hoist leveling adjustment bars on the engine hoist with anchor chains positioned front and rear of the engine block/heads should allow more than ample tilt angle to clear front core supports when body is not removed.. in your case with body removed, balance point shifted more to the rear of the engine will offset the trans weight and should lift straight up and out....................You guys talked me into pulling the engine/trans together using the heads. I have an equalizer etc.. Let's say I lay these on the floor, carefully. Doesn't damage the oil pan huh? Also, if it's on the floor, at the moment I can't visualize how to remove the transmission from the engine.

Mongo already covered this but I'll add a coupe of things.. the rear of the engine block has two large dowels that the transmission case [bell housing] aligns on when coupled together.. these dowels are tight fit to ensure engine crankshaft and transmission input shaft centerline.. very important to mind these dowels and do not mutilate or remove them.. so because of the snug fit, the transmission case may not simply fall off the back of the engine block, it may have to be persuaded and may break away swiftly.. this is why we keep the converter on the transmission and remove the remaining hand tight torque converter bolts just before separating. Noted.
_____________________________________________________________________________________


when I lift engine and trans assemblies out together, I usually lower the trans onto a wood pallet or something similar to support the trans and separate the engine near level so not to force misalignment on trans input..............Good advice, I'll provide for that.

when the engine and transmission assembly is clear of the vehicle, leveled, and lowered close to the floor, you'll be able to see the height differences between the two sump pans.. I use a wood pallet or blocks to give the transmission a smooth place to slide on so I don't fumble the converter or damage anything.. this platform only needs to be high enough for the transmission to land on while the engine sump is still off the ground.. remember, the lifting attachments are both on the engine so it will swing away when gently nudged from the transmission resting firmly on its pallet, work bench, whatever fits in your environment.. you may also have to adjust the leveling device on your chains, you'll be able to tell when you start to loosen the transmission case bolts.. this method keeps the transmission still and consequently the converter should stay put.. a helper may be a good idea for the first one so you each can manage the major components.. once the engine is free, the converter is verified still fully inserted or fully removed by hand, the engine can be parked on a piece of wood on the floor with only slight pressure on the sump to hold it still.. you can shoot the flex plate bolts off of the crankshaft with an impact for less wrestling around or plant the engine a little firmer on some wood blocks, insert the sump pan through a large tire, multiple methods will do.. once the flexplate is removed, you can mount your engine stand brackets to the back of the engine block and hoist it up to the stand.. and voila, easy peasy

I see, don't put the weight of the engine on the engine pan (i.e., sump). How about the transmission pan, that comes off beforehand right?

Easy peasy is right. Just pulled front brakes for the first time, always heard it was easy. I wasn't influenced by mechanics. Still I'm a DYI guy for the most part. While 99% of this is new to me, I've yet to see anything on this truck that was difficult after having done it once. I appreciate your effort & education. It's very helpful.

[68gmsee]

Unless you are planning on new u-joints you don't have to disassemble the driveshaft to place the yoke at the end of the transmission. If you drain it first you can tie a rag around the end. If you leave the fluid in, tie a plastic bag tightly around the end and secure it with electrical tape or rubber bands.