if your doing engine work at the same time do yourself a favor and yank the engine out once its out the trans comes out very easy, i'll usually pull the pass axle and shift the trans over to remove the D side axle then bam yank it out
air tools kick ass, hell having the right tools kicks ass
a 36" matco 1/2 to 3/8ths extension is great for the "bastard" bolt, do yourself a favor and remove the oil pressure sending unit when getting the extension through to get the bastard out without breaking it... (though check the OPS plug for oil on the inside...if oils inside the connector, replace the sender as it's leaking internally).
taper studs are easy to remove in most cases unless someone overtightened them from a previous repair, a hammer and a 3ft prybar are all ya need, pry down on the LCA and swing the hammer (i usually lay my fat ass on top of the prybar and start swinging), though i love my airhammer its a bit loud for late night work in my neigborhood.
i have used 2x4's and a 4x4 for suspending the engine plenty of times
if you go the 4x4 route you can do as i did and use chain with two 12" lengths of 3/8ths-1/2" allthread and drill the wood for them, this allows you very finite adjustments to account for the sag of the wood as well as a large range of travel, it's not often but i've had a few scary moments with nylon ratchet straps.
good luck and have fun
