I know I posted about it, but can't find it. Anyway, Pistolnut's M715 is in my class and we have pulled the stock engine, transmision, radiator and winch off. We wanted to get the really good shape stock exhaust off without cutting it. We tried dropping the t-case down as far as the front drive shaft through the cross member allows and it didn't help. We bolted it back up. It then sat for a while and the student did other things.
Yesterday I told him to get that pipe out. He did. We had to remove the grill gaurd, but it came right out through the radiator opening. The point of this post is this. If you are making an all stock truck, install the exhaust before you install the engine. If you don't, you will have to remove the t-case and everything that hooks to it or holds it up with the engine in the truck.