The angle of the dangle will make it come out easier, getting it back in will be harder, as you will be effectively pushing the engine back up hill whilst trying to get the splines to line up.
I take the entire rad/intercooler pack out, incl the front grill as well.

If it's a manual leaving it in 1st or 2nd gear helps as you only need to jiggle one set of splines ...
 
Definitely remove radiator. Hire a hoist if you can't borrow one, do all the prep the day before you hire it so the engine is ready to come out straight away and get a load leveller too they really help when refitting. I used to 'muscle it' in in my younger days but with a leveller it's a doddle.
 
I use a pair of long studs with slots cut into the ends which either screw into the gearbox/engine to line up the bolt holes once the engine is on them a nut holds the pair together whilst getting the splines lined up once the bolts are in unscrew the studs.
 
The time I spent taking out the radiator was well spent, you have to drain it down anyway and it would need a spectacular engine crane to lift it over, so you would need a beam or some overhead device to get the clearance with the rad in place.

Also when you move the engine forward off the gearbox input shaft it usually goes with a bit of a jolt at the last bit , you could put a sheet of plywood in front of the radiator but manipulating the big lump of engine is much easier with the access you get through the front. In my picture you can see I used a small pull lift to tilt the engine this was a godsend when putting the engine back.
I also used some long bolts in the mountings , to help smooth removal and re alingnment when replacing but dont try and pull them up untill you know for sure the input shaft has entered the clutch plate or you could be in trouble.
Its also worth noting that you need to support the gearbox before spliting the assembly, the engine and the gearbox have only one pair of mounts each.
 
The time I spent taking out the radiator was well spent, you have to drain it down anyway and it would need a spectacular engine crane to lift it over, so you would need a beam or some overhead device to get the clearance with the rad in place.

Also when you move the engine forward off the gearbox input shaft it usually goes with a bit of a jolt at the last bit , you could put a sheet of plywood in front of the radiator but manipulating the big lump of engine is much easier with the access you get through the front. In my picture you can see I used a small pull lift to tilt the engine this was a godsend when putting the engine back.
I also used some long bolts in the mountings , to help smooth removal and re alingnment when replacing but dont try and pull them up untill you know for sure the input shaft has entered the clutch plate or you could be in trouble.
Its also worth noting that you need to support the gearbox before spliting the assembly, the engine and the gearbox have only one pair of mounts each.
youve got some sound advice there supporting the gear box is vital as is raising the bell housing to enable you to lift engine to account for engine mounts, but with a disco you have no choice but to lift over the rad, a chain strung between the 2 lifting points can be positioned to tilt the engine
 
youve got some sound advice there supporting the gear box is vital as is raising the bell housing to enable you to lift engine to account for engine mounts, but with a disco you have no choice but to lift over the rad, a chain strung between the 2 lifting points can be positioned to tilt the engine
Ah I've not worked on a disco, the defender seems like a different prospect.
One thing I found when the rad was out the power steering pipe was in a desperate state so I replaced it.
 
This is the crane I used but I did pull the rad as I was fitting a new one but much easier with rad and front panel out of the way
D88DB214-08DE-42ED-880C-820EB0D2DCB7.jpeg
 
Suppose my best bet is to try it as is then try letting tyres down or removing wheels if needed
You could swap the wheels for a set of standard steel rims (no tyres). This would drop the vehicle down a long way making it much easier to lift the engine high enough to clear everything and a set of 4 would be virtually free and it is dead easy to remove wrecked tyres if you have no intention of requing them. Nearly every land rover owner has a set or original kicking around they do not need, I picked up a pair just down the road form me for 99p after winning ebay auction removed the tyres. I wanted them to remove and refit the axles from my series without dragging them along the floor as they were being painted without having to jack the chassis up to enormous heights. but the principal is the seam just the other way around.
 

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