Trans removal, hidden bolts?

[CanuckQx4]

Hey guys, If youve seen my thread you know I have a 2001 Qx4 with a blown engine. I am at a crossroads of letting a shop do the swap vs doing it myself and doing it slowly and replacing hoses/ loctite power valve screws, recondition and paint the frame rails etc and basically just slowly hack away at it (as I dont need the truck until next winter)

The only things that I believe I am going to be stuck on is the transmission removal (atleast pulling it back/disconnecting it so i can remove engine) and the exhaust manifolds look like a beast aswell. But after reading the FSM it seems there may be some tricky bolts to remove that may require bumping the engine to remove to be able to pull the trans away?

I am fairly new to auto trans, I have done lots of swap on 5 speed hondas, but those are easy jobs, Im not reayy sure whats under the case of my trans and what would still be connected to the engine when I pull the trans back etc.

Does anyone have experience? Or better yet PICTURES of the process on a VQ??

Appreciate all the help guys!

[CanuckQx4]

After reading the Fsm 6 more times it became aparent that after you remove teh starter you can access the flywheel/tq convertor bolts from there and just rotate the crankshaft.

Im also lucky I have the intake manifolds off so I have access to the top 2 transmission to engine bolts

If you guys were going to remove the engine, but the trans is fine, would I even need to disconnect the rear driveshaft (2 wheel drive) and the trans mounts, or just disconnect the bolts that hold the trans to the engine and when Im ready to pull the engine just slide the engine forward off of the trans? Or does the trans need to come out?