There is very little clearance between the firewall and the bell housing, and my experience was that the engine had to tilt back a bit to get the transmission out completely. Though I tried to support the engine, it ended up just leaning against the firewall. No harm was done, but it was a real struggle, both for ground clearance (jack stands gave minimal height) and getting the trans out.

Be sure also that your back-up light switch is disconnected. As Geezer points out, we're not trying to be smart~asses: we just know sometimes the simplest things get overlooked. We know from personal experience!!