On 14 October 2006 at 23:02:02 UK time, Ray Ammeter wrote:
"Is there any one archive site that best describes the process to remove the engine without removing the tranny?"

Chuckle. The MG Series MGA Workshop Manual tells you to remove seats, carpet, floorboards and tunnel to remove engine and gearbox together. By now we should all know you don't have to do that, and that you can remove the engine by itself. Furthermore you also never have to disassemble the interior to remove the gearbox, except on very early production cars that did not have a removable top cover on the tunnel.

To pull engine, drain and remove radiator, disconnect everything attached to the engine, and disconnect engine from gearbox. Remove valve cover and attach a 16 to 18 inch length of 1/4 inch log chain to the valve cover attachment studs using flat washers and hex nuts (tight). Lift out engine with a roll away hoist, or lift engine straight up and roll the car out from underneath.

Above, 16 inch long 1/4 inch chain. At right, 1000 pound direct pull cable hoist (cheap) attached to a long lag screw eye bolt screwed into a stout roof joist.

The crankshaft pulley is a close fit and may scrape paint off the steering rack housing if you're not careful. Do not catch the speedometer cable between the bell housing and tunnel, as that would reduce vertical travel and cause more interference at the crank pulley. When installing engine, lift gearbox with a floor jack until the bell housing hits top of tunnel. Also use the cheap plastic clutch alignment tool to center the clutch splines, and you should be able to align the splines in a minute or two to mate engine to gearbox.