I finally managed to remove my trans, and replaced a leaking rear main seal. I also wound up replacing the pan gasket (long story). I tried an aftermarket 3-piece gasket, which I hope will perform well; to my surprise the pan gasket had previously been replaced with a 3 piece. For those who are interested, the trick that worked for me in removing the transmission was to remove the distributor and hood. Everything was highly accessable after that. Anyone contemplating removal of the exhaust system, DONT TRY TO DO THIS! Its not necessary and not worth the effort. I tried to, wasted a pretty good amount of time, and stripped the flats off a nut that wouldnt move ( I sure hope I dont need exhaust work soon =/ ) I also found that my breaker bar was almost completely useless; a relatively small 3/8 in drive ratchet with a pice of 1" aluminum pipe worked well in tight places.