Thanks, definitely had to take the front bumper off, still had barely enough room, put a small bend in my radiator shroud. was easier to get out with the transmission, but I may put them back in separately.
The harbor freight load leveler was a super huge help. it wouldn't fit 100% with the distributor on, but I managed to put one in an a/c bracket screw hole, no problems with weight.
Also dented my transmission dipstick tube. I was worried about doing that but it looked difficult to get off. A good FYI for anyone else trying this, but I am pretty sure I can fix it.