I recently removed the 216 and transmission from my completed truck after experiencing a rod bearing issue. What I did was remove the front clip, consisting of 4 or 5 bolts on each side holding the fenders to the cab and the two radiator support bolts at the front. It all came off in one piece without needing to remove the hood. I had built an engine leveler that bolts to the two valve cover studs, and pulled engine and trans together without damaging the recently painted firewall. My transmission is a 3-speed, so just removing the u-joint bell cover bolts, the speedometer cable and the shifter linkage was all that was needed. With a 4 speed, the top cover would have to come off the transmission to clear the firewall.
Optionally, pulling the transmission would require unbolting the u-bolt halves, either raising or dropping the torque tube out of the way, and then supporting the transmission while pulling the input shaft back out of the clutch, and then dropping it to the floor. Using an engine hoist through the passenger door is the easiest way to accomplish that. The transmission is pretty heavy to manhandle from underneath, especially for an old guy like me. If you've been working out at the gym doing bench presses, you might be able to do that, but I like to take the easy way out.
Pulling the transmission separately, or leaving it in the truck, complicates re-installation, including stabbing the input shaft back into the clutch. That's way easier to do with the engine hanging on a hoist or sitting on a cart.
