im trying to gauge whether I can do this myself.
yes, you can.
So, I figure a nice 30 min to jack things up nice and good. I figure 2ish feet in the front, and feet in the rear.
leave it low so the jack can reach, and it's easier to work with, imo. after you have it out, you may need to lift the vehicle higher to slide the tranny out from under it.
Then another nice 30 min to remove the rear drive shaft...
if this takes more than a few minutes, something is wrong. unbolt the straps that retain the rear u-joint, give it a light tap with a rubber mallet if you have to, and it will pop right off. then, you just pull the slip yoke out and
10 minutes to drain the fluid and what not...
varies. i'd plan more time for draining. when i take my time, i don't spend the rest of the job wallowing in fluids.
Then what? How much longer from there?
my advice, don't worry so much about time. some wierd problem will almost always pop up and need some out-of-the-box thinking to work out. i concern myself with doing a job right, not fast. that's just me.
Disconnect cables and so on, but I have no idea how many bolts/ what else needs to be done...
mark everything you can before you pull it. linkage positions, driveshaft position, everything that might make a difference. i even keep track of what bolt was in each position on the bell-housing. and yes, the top ones are a huge pain. i for my engine swap, i couldn't get my hand up to the top bolt on the passenger side, so i used about 4 feet on socket extension, fed the socket onto the bolt, and actually had the wrench behind the transfer case crossmember.
the exhaust may or may not be an issue. it depends on how it's routed.
remember to remove all of the torque converter bolts. i've heard there are 4 bolts in the case of deisels. mine is behind a 350 and uses 3.
some strong rope or ratchet tie-downs slung between the framerails can make a good safety net in case the thing falls.
