You'll need to remove the bolts at the rear, not the ones going into the transmission itself. HOWEVER- - - - -pay attention closely! If the vehicle is raised off the floor and supported on jack stands, be sure the stands are supporting the frame, NOT the rear axle tubes. A torque tube will have a considerable amount of downforce caused by weight transfer from the springs if the springs are still supporting the weight of the vehicle as they would be if the jack stands are under the axle tubes. The rear end needs to be hanging free with no load on the springs.
Once you remove the collar the next order of business is to slide the ball back on the tube. There's a knurled nut which will need to be loosened or removed, and the tube just behind the sliding ball assembly needs to be shiny clean. Use a strip of emery cloth and "shoeshine" all the dirt and rust off so the ball can slide back without damaging the seals inside it. You'll probably end up replacing those seal rings anyway, but there's no sense making the job of sliding the ball back any harder then necessary. A little lightweight oil on the tube helps. Now would be a good time to support the torque tube a foot or so behind the ball with a small jack to avoid any surprises as you slide the ball away from the transmission.
Next- - - - -you'll see a universal joint that must be unbolted once the ball is moved back. There are small sheet metal locking tabs on four bolts that need to be carefully pried back before trying to unbolt the U-joint caps. Once that's done, the joint can be slid back on the driveshaft and the torque tube can be jacked up against the bottom of the cab and tied into place to provide enough working room to start removing the transmission. The transmission is HEAVY and AWKWARD- - - - - -use a jack to support it, or maybe a come-along attached to a 4 X 4 piece of wood bridging the gap between the doors. Have fun and be safe!
Jerry
