The last two times I dropped the engine I took it out without the transaxle just because I didn't want to deal with the CV joints. I swear I could wrap them in 100 layers of shrink wrap and still end up with nasty old grease in my hair and ears
I probably should take the tranny out with the engine but I'm a creature of habit and this works so I stick with it.
I have a good setup now to jack and level the engine so it's getting easier to line up.
It's a lot different than working on a 914. One time I pulled the 901 out of the 914, replaced the input shaft seal, and re-installed it ready to drive in under an hour
No jack, I would just lay it on my chest and bench press it into place. Sure gets dirty that way.