yes the tranny is still in the truck. he was trying to avoid having to take it out because they only have the cherry picker and thought it would be impossible to get the right angle with the transmission attached to the engine.
never thought of putting the engine in and then attaching the trans...
you can use the cherry picker to lower the tranny to the floor by going in through the passenger door. with the floor panel removed its a straight drop to the floor. install it in the same manner after the engine is bolted to front and rear mounts. i had an issue when i put my first motor in, it wouldnt fit and i was an inch away. after pulling the engine back out i notice i left the tranny bolts in the bell housing so they wouldnt get lost. once remove it went right into place.
he just had the motor rebuilt
if it was from someone knowledgable with 235's the pilot bushing should of been replaced. should be easy to tell. if its somewhat shiny then most likely it was replaced since they are bronze.
