Buick/Olds: transmission, wheel drive cars, front wheel drive cars

Question
I am attempting to swap transmissions from a 90 Buick Le Sabre to an 88 Le Sabre. I don't know what all info you will need so I'll give you what I think you need : engine is 3800 v6 w/ac, power everything, automatic trans (3 plus od). Do I need to lift the engine before I drop the transmission?  If not, how would I go about removing the old transmission? I heard that in front wheel drive cars you never need to lift the engine for it, but when I took a look it seemed like it wouldn't be possible without unbolting the engine and lifting it. Both vehicles still have the transmission in them, so if they are different, please provide info on both. If VINs would be helpful, please say so and I can get them.  Thanks a lot....Jenn  

Answer
You dont have to lift the engine but you do have to support it from the top. The trans will come out the bottom of the car soyou need to remove the engine cradle(front sub-frame). This what everything is attached to including the engine and trans mounts, so if you dont support the engine, it will fall out of the bottom of the car when the cradle is removed. You may need to lower the engine slightly to get the trans to clear the body on the drivers side.