I am also not able to give you a blow-by-blow account, Caude, but I have a few pointers. The only time we had the trnasmision out of my 409, it came out with the engine and went back in with the engine. If it is possible to get it out without removing the engine, the difficulty will be having enough space to move it first backwards a little to get it free of the engine and then downwards and forwards to come out. My recollection is that the back of the gear box is supported above a tubular cross memeber which is a permanent welded part of the chassis. On a Land Rover the equivalent part is bolted in and can be removed, greatly facilitating transmission removal.
The first question to answer would be to check whether it is possible to access all the bellhousing bolts and remove them from the car with the transmission still in place. If that is possible, then the rest of this post might make sense. If that is possible, it is necessary to choose 2 bolts which are roughly on oppositie sides of the engine which can be left in place until last but that are then most easy to get at to undo before final removal.
I would think the whole job is easiest if the transmission is in Neutral, not Park, when you start.
The preliminary steps are then as follows :
1) Drain the fluid from the transmision.
2) Disconnect any fluid cooler pipes and strap them out of the way, and cap the ends to keep the insides clean.
3) Disconnect the control cables/linkages, parking brake, gear lever, and kick-down.
4) Disconnect and completely remove the propshaft.
5) Disconnect the speedo drive cable, and any electrical plugs, etc.
6) Remove the front part of the exhaust, detatch it from the exhaust manifolds and from the front of the silencers and remove. This allows the angle of the engine to be tilted a little if necessary.
7) Have a look around the engine to see if there is anything else which should be removed or suitably adjusted to allow the engine to tilt a little forward or backward. Do what is necessary.
8) There should be two brackets which each form a triangle with the bottom of the engine and the bellhousing, one on each side, to improve the stiffness of the engine and transmission assembly. The upper end of each bracket is bolted to the bottom of the engine next to the sump, about half way along the engine, and the lower end is bolted to the bellhousing. Remove both of these brackets.
9) Remove the half-moon shaped peice of metal covering the front of the bellhousing below the engine, its 4 or 6 small bolts, I think.
10) You can now see the torque converter drive plate and the front of the torque converter. At least one of the bolts which hold the converter to the drive plate should be visible. Undo that bolt and then turn the engine round until the next one appears, remove that and reapeat until all four are out.
Do not try to do this by leaving the torque converter bolted onto the engine. It can slide out of the front of the gearbox, but you are in danger of braking the transmission oil pump drive system, which depends on two tabs on the hollow shaft at the back of the torque converter. The torque converter should be kept firmly in the front of the transmission at all times.
When all the bolts are removed, push the torque converter backwards a little in the bell-housing. It should move backwards, off the drive plate, by about 3 mm.
11) Assuming you are working on some sort of vehicle lift ramp, you now need to support the back of the engine sump on some sort of jack on the ramp. Don't lift it up but have something ready to support the back of the engine when the transmission is no longer attached.
12) Undo the bolts of the gearbox rear mounting.
13) Remove all but 2 of the bellhousing bolts.
14) Then you need to know whether this whole job is possible !
If it is, you should be able to undo the last two bolts, lift the transmission backwards a few inches, make sure the torque converter cannot fall out, lower the front of the transmission, possibly raising the back of the engine a few inches, and slide the transmission out forwards and downwards.
Voila ! Piece of cake !
(Refitting is the reverse of the above !
)
Thor.