motor replacement

does the transmission and transfer case have to be removed to pull the engine from a 97 ford f 150 4x4 with a 4.2 v6 engine?

I would recommend unbolting the transmission from the engine block then unboltin the torque converter and sliding the transmission and transfer case back so as to allow the engine to clear the transmission.

If I"m not too lat to chime in...remove the hood. Not necessary for v-8s, (and yes they can come out the top without removing the body) but the 4.2 you have to. I dented two hoods before I got it through my thick skull.