Sorry I missed the other replies to this thread. I ended up moving the engine forward and removing the bits from the gap left between the transmission and block. The two hardest parts were separating those pieces and then mating them back together. After wasting a few hours trying to get them apart using all manner of pry bars, screwdrivers, hammers, and creative swearing, I finally bought a sacrificial wood chisel and hammered that between the two pieces. It was fast, easy, and effective. Lesson learned.
I did that work solo and used a floorjack to move the engine forward. It developed into one of those situations where I couldn’t retrace my steps. The engine refused to return to the starting position after the new bits were installed. After wasting a lot of time struggling by myself and using 2 floorjacks, I called my friend who had borrowed my engine hoist and asked him to return it. It then took two of us close to 90 minutes using the hoist, and two floorjacks. If I had simply removed the engine using the hoist from the start, it would have been much faster. The biggest surprise during this project though were the parts prices. A new clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, pilot bearing, alignment tool, and flywheel for about $450. That’s cheap!