Okay the first thing I've got to say is 9 times Outta 10 when you buy a car that someone's been modifying or Jack Wheeling around with you'll run into this crap which is a good time to fix it because you'll run into it the next time you try and fix something. But I will offer some advice on your problems...
try un bolting the transmission from the crossmember and jack the trany up and slip it out?