dropping the crossmember shouldn't be any big deal for a real transmission shop. When I return home, I've got an appointment to have my tranny flushed and serviced for $120. Would have been $80 if they didn't need to drop the crossmember.

Just need to make sure the backend of the tranny is supported when the crossmember is removed so the weight of the whole driveline isn't put on the motor mounts.