99 zx2 tranny replace question

I am working on a 1999 zx2 automatic escort. The owner of the vehicle said he was driving down the interstate and it made a clunking noise, and when he stopped on the side of the highway and looked underneath and there was tranny fluid pouring out from underneath the car so I got it towed here and up in the air and to the back side of the drain plug the housing is tranny housing has cracks in it. I have located several junkyard trannys that I am going to get tomorrow morning, but was going to work on removing it today. My labor software says it's 5 hours to remove and replace the tranny, was just looking for some tips or how to on quickly remove the tranny.

I haven't worked on that model, but in my own experience with these cars I have never had to actually remove the the hubs and shafts... with the front end up and wheels off you can pop the tie rods loose from the hubs and then pry the shaft loose from the tranny. With the shafts loose on the tranny side you can rotate the hub around with the outer end of the shaft still installed in it and have plenty of room to work with to get the tranny out.

Okay I have been doing a couple other things today so have not been able to get started yet. I am going to get started in about a hour and see how it goes. I was hoping I could pop the tie rod ends and move the axles out of my way.