Out the top is by far easier. I pulled a motor/trans by myself last week and I had them out, on the ground and split in 2 hours flat.
This last one I just did was wrecked in the front and didn't have any refrigerant in the AC system. The car is also being scrapped. So instead of screwing around unbolting the compressor I just removed the line and left it on the engine.
Other possibly helpful hints:
Get the hood off right from the get go. It has to come off anyway. Take it off first to make working easier
You have to go through the pulley on the p/s pump to get the bolts out
I find the easiest way to get the Cv's out of the trans is to use a 1/2" extension resting on the metal part of the cv closest to the trans and hitting the extension with a hammer
Unbolting the master cylinder will give you a little more room
I also prefer to remove the battery and flip the fuse box down in the battery tray
I unbolt the trans mount bracket Frees up some room. Makes it a lot easier to clear the ABS stuff
Also. While you have the engine out is a VERY good time to change the pan gasket of it hasn't been done. It's going to leak eventually and doing it in the car doesn't look fun
