Maybe it's due to my fat fingers--but I've always dropped the valve body to make room for access to the tranny end of the cable. I know that's a bit more involved than just dropping the pan. It's only the larger bolts you can see that need to come out. It's been a very long time since I've done this job so I don't recall if there's any check balls or springs that need to be watched for--do it slowly--have a "spotter" keep an eye on things as you remove the last bolt and lower the valve body and keep it all well lit. Loosen the bolts holding the dip stick tube to the bellhousing before you attempt to loosen the dipstick to pan connection so there's no pre-tension involved. -- Dave