One of the mid-60's Pontiac V-8's had to have the front main bearing cap removed and laid down inside the pan before there was enough room to slide the pan out. That was AFTER jacking the engine up and supporting it on blocks of wood! I only did that once! It was simpler to just pull the engine. The 4.6 liter Ford V-8 in the Crown Vic had special camshaft timing fixtures that wouldn't clear the firewall with the engine in the car, so it was necessary to pull the engine to do a valve job.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!