I installed mine by lifting the engine up - tight, starter and dipstick will be tight, even for a small high torque. If you are using a 727, I would recommend using an aftermarket dipstick tube. For #6 plug, I drilled a hole in the fender well - much easier.
I agree about drilling hole in inner fender to make number 6 plug a lot easier to get too. After that I thought the plugs were easy to change. On the dipstick I used a locking one from cope racing. It fit great. Here is a link to it. Cope Racing Transmissions