Hyundai Repair: 2003 Santa Fe engine/transmission collision damage, shadetree mechanic, bell housing

Question
I'm looking at a 2003 Santa Fe, 3.5L with a big piece of the bell housing missing from the previous owner hitting a rock.  Thankfully, they stopped before the rock damaged anything further back, but there is now a chunk of the bell housing the size of my hand, missing, and one of the bolts is bent at about a 100 degree angle.  The plastic splash guard piece is missing a corresponding chunk ahead of where the bell housing got hit, but that's mostly cosmetic, so I'm not too worried there.

I'm a bit of a shadetree mechanic, and grew up on a farm, so the idea of removing the engine to replace the bell housing doesn't intimidate me too much, but there is some ATF dripping out of the bottom of what's left of the bell housing.

The current owner bought it from an auto auction and didn't look underneath until he got it towed home. It had a dead battery when I went to look at it and the owner wasn't willing to even turn it over, so I don't know if the flywheel was hit or if the crank could be bent.

The price is right to buy the car if it only needed an engine OR a transmission, but it's a bit high if it needs both.  It's an outright steal if it only needs a gasket and new bell housing (Assuming I can find just the bell housing somewhere)

I don't know how the engine/transmission fit together on these, so I'm hoping someone here can give me some insight as to where the ATF could be coming from.  The TSBs I've read give me some hope that it was just a seal damaged when they hit, but I'm afraid of what else could have been damaged in that collision.

Thanks,
Jon

Answer
If the transmission fluid isn't coming from one of the axle seals, you should plan on needing to replace the transmission.  In fact, with that kind of damage, you should probably count on replacing the transmission anyway.  The case splits in two pieces, but the front portion is a little more than just a bell housing.  If there's no obvious physical damage to the engine, it's highly unlikely the engine has been damaged.  

Check your local dealer for the price of a factory remanufactured transmission.  You may be able to get one for less than $1000.  If you're interested in purchasing a used transmission, do a search at car-part.com.