Dropping the tranny...tips?

I need to install a new flexplate in an AW4, anyone have any tips on how to do this quick any easy?

Anything I should do/prep before hand?

~Scott

be ready for about 10-15 quarts of fluid coming out thats about all i can think of. o and dont forget to disconnect and tag all the electrical wiring.

shouldn't need to "DROP" the tranny to do the flexplate, just pull it away really.
getting it over the S pipe was the hardest part for me. a motorcycle jack and some stacked 2x4's make it nice and easy to lift up and down.

make sure you get ALL the inspection plate bolts out, i always manage to forget one.

if you are going to really drop it all the way out, i find it easy to drop the rear, and take the transfer case off first, then worry about the trans.

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So what exactly do I have to do to slide it back?
I want to do the bare minimum required to replace a flex plate correctly, as NWFest is at the end of the month.

EDIT: I assume remove the torque converter, what else has to be pulled to slide it back?

~Scott

when i seperated the trans from the engine on my 89 to swap out the slave for the 5spd, i found it to be more time consuming disconnecting everything needed (driveshafts, shift linkage, shifter(5spd) wiring harnesses, starter, exhaust, bellbousing bolts....) then it did to actually seperate/move the trans/transfercase back to allow access. so dont expect quick

to make it easy, you need an e12 external torx socket for the top 2 bellhousing bolts and it really helps to have a transjack so you can roll the trans/transfercase back away from the engine. as mentioned, a motor cycle jack works.