Is it possible for the transmission to come out without dropping the exhaust?

Hello,

You should not have to remove the exhaust in order to drop the transmission.
Do you know which manual transmission this mustang has?
T5OD or TR3650 or TR6060
Each one has little different procedure for the removal.

Let me know what you got.
Thank you.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-a-clutch

Based on this its TR3650.

https://lmr.com/products/Mustang-Transmissions-What-Transmission-V8-Mustang

Forgot to ask, do i have to drain the transmission fluid? Also, a little bit if oil came down when i removed the driveshaft from the diff end.

You do not have to drain the fluid.

I have attached the transmission removal / install procedure for the TE3650 below.

Let me know of any questions.
Thank you.

Been trying for 2 hours now. I have a lift and i still cannot get it to come put, it is fully separated but the transmission whether it is straight on a transmission hoist or dangling, the transmission keeps hitting the frame around the area where the starter goes in the housing, that curbed area, strange design. Removed many transmissions before this is just weird. Tried it on the floor, same thing. All bolts removed, all harness disconnected, slave cylinder clip and connector out. Not seeing anything else.

Were you able to get the transmission out? There really should not be anything extra to remove.

No. Been trying with the transmission hoist. Maybe I will get someone to help me remove it by shoulder, where the starter sits that part hits the frame.

Let me know how it turns out. I am not aware of any special trick for this.

Finally came out. It needed to be turned 45 degrees to clear. God help me when installing. Do you know the throw out bearing pieces go together? In what order? And which side if spring goes in to where? One side of the boot has a white plastic that is hard, also how does it stay in place once it is on?

I will see if I can find an exploded parts view for this. Typically, they come already assembled.

What do you call the plastic clip that goes on side of the transmission to hood the hydraulic line in place?

Just to jump in, you can Google them and find all sorts of options that will work. They are called line clips or harness clips.

Basically, you can use any of them that have the male end that will go into the transmission. You can even use zip ties as they are stronger than most of these clips.