I'm taking a couple weeks off work soon to swap the 727 transmission for an 833 4-speed/quicktime bellhousing in my '69 charger. I have a 472 hemi with 2-1/8" TTI headers and their 3" exhaust with x-pipe. I had some leaks when I first installed the exhaust system and the muffler shop that repaired it welded all the joints but the header collectors.

Do I need to remove the exhaust to get the transmission out? I'm replacing the 8-3/4 with an original dana 60 at the same time. I was thinking I could pull the axle, take the exhaust out whole, then do the transmission. But it would also be nice to split this into two smaller jobs and do just the rear axle swap over a weekend and the tranny job later.

How high do I need to jack the car to get the tranny out? Do I need special jack stands? I've installed a transmission 3 times in that car before, but I've always pulled the engine and transmission together. The hemi is too big so I had to use a 440 as a lifting device for the transmission, left it in there, and installed the hemi. It was a real nightmare to install so I'd rather not pull the engine again. I'm using a hydraulic clutch so I don't need the z-bar bracket.