transmission swap question

alright my friend has an 00 ex and he has driven a car with a manual tranny and loved it. he decided to drop a manual in has car but has no idea how to do it. im going to help him do it but i am not to fimiliar with civics so i was wondering if it is easier to work around the subframe or just undo it all and drop the transmission out? is it even possible to not take off the subframe and work around it?