Flex Plate Change - Advise/Help

[Chicago77]

Well, my flexplate if broken, and I need to change it out. I would like all of your advice on my plan because I have not dont this. I will record a video of it and post it on youtube after so yall can laugh, and because noone has done so yet.

1998 Ford Ranger XL 4WD 4.0 (mfg date 09-1997)

My goal is to sneak the transmission back just enough to access the bolts and use allthread/longbolts to keep it aligned when I move it back.

Plan:

1. Remove starter (already done)
2. Mark and remove front and rear drive shafts
3. Unplug electronics and coolant line form trany (do I have to do this if im just backing it up 4-5 inches?)
4. Disconnect shift linkage
5. Put floor jack with plate under transmission
6. Disconnect transmisison from rear hanger and jack tranmission up a bit
7. Support Engine ( I think I have to do this with another jack?
8. Swap 2-4 bellhousing bolts with longer bolts or all thread
9. Remove the rest of the bolts
10. slide tranmission back along the longer bolts to give space to unbolt flex plate from bell houseing and remove the rest from the crank shaft
11. Replace with 8bolt flexplate and spend way too long bolting it in
12. Carefully close ballhousing back to motor
13. bolt flexplate to torque converter through hole where starter goes???

Questions:

1. Do I also need to swap the spacer betweent the crankshaft and new flexplate?
   1. If yes, how and what is the part link?
2. Can I move the transmission back without removing the exhaust?
3. What is the thread and size of the bolts that go from the bellhousing ot the motor?

What am I missing?