This feels like a silly question but I am only a dumb hobbyist and don't have much practical shop experience.

I need to get the transmission out of my 67 Coronet for a rebuild. I have only ever swapped the engine, the trans has never been out.

Last time I did a trans job on another car, I bought super-tall jackstands to get the thing out from the bottom. Felt very iffy, but most of my difficulty was reaching a ton of weird bellhousing bolts because it was on a 90s BMW and not a 60s American car.

I am wondering if it would save me overall time and effort to just yank the thing out with the engine as a single unit?

I have the mid-sized Harbor Freight shop crane and a load leveler. I've pulled the engine out of the thing before with the same setup. Would you judge it more effort to remove the hood, remove the gas lines/coolant lines/headers/etc and pull the whole shebang, or do it from underneath?

I don't have any kind of a lift, I only have a floor jack. I do have a big truck-sized transmission jack. I'm wondering if I am making too much out of worming around on the floor again, or if it is not that big of a deal to do. What would you say?

If you don't have a good set of jackstands tall enough to hold your car up off the floor so you can roll the trans out from underneath it then removing the motor and trans together is the only other way to get it out, correct
if you don't have big selection of sockets and flexible connectors getting the upper trans bolt out is a bear so maybe it would easier and better to pull the motor and trans and then work on separating them on the floor
Make sure and remove the converter to flex plate bolts before separating the trans and make sure and push the converter all the way back into the pump before unbolting the trans and sliding it off from the block
Mopar trans and converter are a real bear to reinstall properly, the converter has to drop down twice into the pump to be installed correctly, be patient and take your to make sure it is in all the way before bolting the trans to the block
I use a straight edge or a 24 inch carpenter square laid across the front of the bellhousing and a tape measure to make sure the converter mounting lug faces are at least 3/4 inch away from the straight edge bottom

I prefer to pull the engine (I don't have a lift either).

Take it out the bottom! Way less work. Jack it up as high as your jack stands will go. Take the starter and dust cover off first and then take the flex plate to torque converter bolts out. Take the driveshaft out and use a spare slip yoke to keep it from leaking if you have one. Take the shift linkage and speedometer cable loose next, and then take the cooler lines loose from the transmission end. Support the engine so it doesn't droop down when you take the transmission out, and then take all the bellhousing bolts out except the bottom one on each side. Put the floor jack under the pan with a piece of plywood or something on it to protect the pan, then take the trans mount loose and then take the trans crossmember out. Take the other 2 bellhousing bolts loose and slide the trans back a little. Ease it to the floor and roll it out from under the car. If it won't clear, slide it off the jack and drag it out. In my experience, cardboard is much easier to work off of than a creeper. Reverse the procedure to put it back. Good luck to you!

I totally agree, I don't know why on earth someone would want to drain coolant and do all that other work to get a lousy trans out. I have a lift now but used to pull em out in an hour on the ground as long as the exhaust wasn't in the way.

Out the bottom for me.
If your jackstands aren't tall enough, get the whole car up in the air with the tires on wood blocks or old wheels.
Just make sure it can not roll and is secure.
I'd remove top trans bolts before it gets up in the air; that's never been a problem.
Might want to rent a trans jack, makes it a lot easier.

Make up a set of blocks like this for under the tires. Not having jack stands under there makes it a ton easier to maneuver. You can reach the bellhousing bolts by dropping the tailshaft down and using a long extension and swivel socket. Muscle the trans off of the jack onto a large piece of cardboard to pull it out on.

Before pulling it apart mark the flywheel and torque converter with a paint marker. Will make it easier putting it back together.

[quote=MarkZ]Make up a set of blocks like this for under the tires. Not having jack stands under there makes it a ton easier to maneuver. You can reach the bellhousing bolts by dropping the tailshaft down and using a long extension and swivel socket. Muscle the trans off of the jack onto a large piece of cardboard to pull it out on.

Before pulling it apart mark the flywheel and torque converter with a paint marker. Will make it easier putting it back together. [/quote

Exactly the type wooden stands I've used many times. Cheap/easy to make. Keeps tires secure from rolling.
2x4 lumber is best, but 2x3 also workable..
Have also put them onto dollies also.

Think you're going to need the tires more than 7" (2-4x4s) off the ground.
If I remember right, the bell housing is 24" or more, need to get the car up high to get it out.
I did it from the bottom, multiple times, it was a chore......but I'm just a wknd hack

It isn't very easy either way! Especially in a small garage or worse yet, in a driveway. Getting the car way up in the air helps a ton. Don't use jack stands, have the tires resting on blocks. A transmission jack is 10x better than a floor jack so if you have one use it. If you don't have one then borrow one or rent one.
Take your time, be safe, ask help from a buddy or two when the time comes to actually pull the transmission out. Unless you have a very complete shop it isn't a one man job. I used to pull the full front suspension off of cars with my floor jack as well as install transmissions and engines by myself but I had a lot of tools as well as an overhead crane. If you don't have a ton of tools then you need helping hands to stay safe.

I've always pulled from the bottom since I was 15 or so. If you do have a clearance issue use a bent strap to hold the converter in place and pick up the tailshaft tilting the top of the BH down.

The marking of the flex plate previously mentioned is a must as it is a non symmetrical pattern that only bolts up one way. I usually blast both with spray paint. I've done many with just a floor jack by myself but it can be a challenge much easier with a helper. once you get the trans up into the tunnel it's much easier as its trapped. A strap or two can help as well. They do sell adapter plates for floor jacks but I've ever used one. About the only thing left i can think of is depending on the car engine etc. many times the upper BH bolts can be removed before starting.

Thanks a lot guys, I kind of wondered if through the top was more work than the "convenience" of not having to lift the car... I was just feeling really discouraged from putting this heavy + floppy of a car as high in the air as I last needed to with a much newer & stiffer unibody car which already felt kind of creepy.

I had not considered simply blocking up the wheels higher up with some simple DIY stands like you've shown. That would be a lot more secure (and less stressful on the body) than jackstands I used on my newer car.

I don't have the giant 12 ton jackstands I used for my big-BMW-wagon job anymore either way because Harbor Freight recalled them and I spent the money on other crap I'm sure I can get some adequate lumber for way less than buying them again.

I do have a huge truck-sized transmission jack with a tilt head, though last time I used it I had to drag the transmission off of it onto the ground to get it the rest of the way off of the car (and then onto it the opposite way) despite the clearance I got with big stands. I am a skinny wimp but still managed to pull it off. I am motivated to get going on it now!

I've used bare steel wheels laid flat under the wheels instead of jack stands. Just make sure the vehicle wheels are blocked so it can't roll off of the steel wheels if you try this. A working parking brake is nice as well. Also need to make sure the vehicle is up at least high enough that the trans bellhousing clears the frame rails beforehand so it can be slid out the side.

I don't have a trans jack. To get the trans in and out of vehicles by myself I have stacked blocks of 2x under it and then slid them out like Jenga to lower it down to the ground. Installation was the reverse. Just move the trans up one end at a time and slide the wood strips back under it and work your way back up. I went slow so as to make sure it's stable and steady both coming out and going back up. Connecting it to the engine you will have to grab it and push it into place the last bit, but it's not too bad if the trans is relatively close to the final position resting on the stacked wood pile. Sounds kinda redneck, but it did work for me anyways.

Had to do mine 2 years ago to replace the TC after restored starter ate teeth on the previous ring gear…got car started and drove to my friends house where he has every part and tool needed, we banged it out and I drove it home, he had a full set of truck jack stands to get the car up to clear the bellhousing. Smile Special K!!!

Like the 2x4 idea. Years ago I had a pair of 10" rims that the wife suggested using on one end of the car after one on 4 stands started to teeter. Rock solid with those and a pair of stands on the other end. used to be able to get the 10" wheels CHEAP as they were a hard sell

I use wood boxes or blocks plus short jackstands when I'm working off the floor. I've built a few different styles of block boxes over the years.

Amazing work space, and super clean too! We should all be so lucky!

I've always done out the bottom. With short jack stands i use a jack to get it down then slide it off the jack onto cardboard to pull it out.
Some of the top bolts are actually easier to get from the bottom with an array of extensions and flexible sockets or adapter. The last one I took out was well under an hour, it takes longer to fight it back in.

That was a great shop. Had it for 20 years, sold it earlier this year and now I don't have a shop of my own. Time to downsize. I'll put the Coronet up for sale in the future too since I don't have a place to work on it anymore.

Someone posted here in the past to buy an extra transmission pan, drill appropriate holes through it, and bolt it to the transmission jack top flange for more secure and precise use.
Washers could be used to create the proper slight angles needed, or even fore/aft adjustment bolts threaded in place.

I thought that was a good suggestion.