Yes, engine drop question(s)
 

I searched and read countless posts but can't find the answer to the following questions.
88 3.2, 165k using oil pretty fast but I'm suspecting much of that is leaks but probably valve guides as well. FWIW, I'll be dropping engine and tranny together.

Here are the questions
1. With rear bumper removed, how high does the bottom edge of the rear "shelf" need to be? I've had it up to 28" pretty easily. Airbox and AFM are removed.
2. Do I leave the 2 lines going up to the thermostat in the front of the wheel well attached after they are disco'd on the other end from the engine? It looks like they won't be in the way as the engine comes down.
3. Using a motorcyle lift with a plywood shelf where exactly are the 2X4's placed...under the heat exchangers? Are they strong enough?
3.1 Where is the center of balance...will the tranny cause it to tip forward or will it balance on the platform as it comes down?

Basically, I plan to disconnect everything, support the engine, and then raise the car and slide the engine out the back. I have all the recommended books so hopefully this won't be too much of a disaster.

TIA

I replaced my motor a few years ago. Removal was pretty simple. I followed bentleys manual. I didn't remove any oil lines from the T-stat. I only removed the valance.

Subbed.

With the rear valance and the airbox removed you need about 32" of clearance on the 3.2 engine. You can leave those two oil lines plugged and hanging. The balance point is about 2/3 of the way up the engine seam starting from the rear of the car. The engine and tranny will balance perfectly when the motorcycle lift is under the heat exchangers. The heat exchangers are plenty strong to support then weight of the engine and tranny.

Kurt, thanks for the information, that's exactly what I needed to know.
Looking forward to getting to know the engine a little better.