the reason they tell you to remove the tranny mounting bolts is to make it as easy as possible.believe what you read.i rekon its easier to rip the whole shootin match out and split them on the floor

Simon

I have removed these motors heaps and never ever have I touched the tranny mounts - I tend to remove the air filter stuff and carbs for a bit easier clearance when pulling it out from under the car. - takes about 45 minutes from start to finish

I recently removed one of these engines and i reckon the best bet is to loosen the bolts or take the transmission with it as one unit. i tried it without doing either and ended up cutting out the sheetmetal below the bootlid to make enough room to get the engine out(luckily i was scrapping the van anyway).