So I spent the better part of the afternoon trying to get the tranny pan out without disconnecting any other pieces. And not make a mess (yeah, right) well I can't get it out because it's boxed in by the muffler cross pipe in the front and the tranny cross member in the back. I would have just disconnected the exhaust pipe at the manifolds but those bolts are in there tight. Gonna take some work. And it's a bear to try to get the tranny cross member out. So what would be the best way to get that tranny pan out? exhaust pipe or cross member?

 

Been discussed before. The first thing to try is unbolting the transmission mount and jacking up the transmission. That can sometimes give enough room to get it out of there. Be careful not to damage the wiring on the bottom of the valve body though.

If that does not work, then you will need to remove the cross member.