I'm about to remove engine and 5 speed tranny from my '78. My really stupid question is what the heck do I use to plug the rear end so I don't end up with oil all over the place? Or it it advisable to drain it first? and if so how?

 

I pulled them seperate tranny and engine. Not as heavy seemed easier. I,m going to drain the tranny and put them back together though

 

bigge, if you're just going to seperate the driveshaft from the rear end then you don't need to drain the diff. There is a seal there to keep the fluid in.

If you're going to remove the diff, which means removing the axles, then you should drain it first. You don't have to, but I would if you dont want a mess on your hands.

 

I removed the engine and 5 speed tranny at the same time from my '78. Drained just with the plug at the bottom (27 mm socket, I think, or something like that size). I just used the same drain pan as I did for the motor oil, and took it all to one of the parts shops for recycling afterwards. I'd swear the tranny still drooled a couple of tablespoons of oil while removing it. I'm not sure, though. It was 3 years ago...
I think it took less time for me to remove them both at once, but is a bigger pain in the butt for sure. And they're not joking about how easy it is to brake the vent cap on the transmission by having it "catch" on the way out. Oh well. I already had a raft of broken parts to replace on that car anyway...
Dave

 

the tranny uses a 1/2 drive ratchet to remove the drain plug. just get a lid from a large rubbermaid bin, and use it to protect the floor if your concerned, its lip is enough to collect any little spill, dont forget all the coolant that seems to come from everywhere when you pull the motor

 

Oops. 1/2 in drive ratchet it is. Hmm. I bet I'm mixing it up with my Toyota. I wonder what else I messed up. Maybe I should work on one thing at a time...