I've done it both ways..out the bottom is easier for sure. Took me about 1 hour to get to the below picture. I had the happy hooker when I yanked it out the top and it wan't too bad but took much longer is is way more work.

 

When I did mine in Feb of this year I pulled it out from the bottom. Nothing special needed. I used 2 flat furnature dollies, a 6x6x8 landscaping timber cut into 8 pieces. Blocks will work too. 2 jack stands, a floor jack,a cherry picker and patience. Lift the rear of the car, remove the front wheels and lay them down at the rear so the rear tires sit in the rims. Best to use spare rims/tires so you dont scratch the front wheels. Lower the car down onto the rims. It will be very steady. Raise the front and put onto jack stands. Remove all the hardware connected to the engine and trans. This means hoses, electrical grounds, drive shaft, torque arm, drive shaft, etc. Leave all the accys in place. You dont remove the ac,alt,power steering pump, exhaust manifolds. All that stuff comes out as an assembly. Unbolt the struts, remove the computer harness from the rt kick panel and lay the computer and harness on top of the motor. When you are sure you have every thing disconnected, put the furnature dollies under the front sub frame. Loosen the 6 bolts at the sub frame. Use the cherry picker to lift the front end up, remove the jack stands, lower the front of the car till the sub frame is in contact with the dollies and hold it there. Place a floor jack or flat trans jack under the trans and remove the cross member. Remove the 6 sub frame bolts and raise the car back up about 40 inches to the bottom of the front bumper. Use the 6x6s to make a platform ( 2 down and 2 across on top of the others) Place your jack stand on top of the 6x6s. The platforms and jack stands should be under the side frane rails about even with the doors. Set the car down. Now grab the motor and pull. The furnature dollies will allow the engine/trans to roll free from under the car and move where ever you want as long as you have a smooth, clean floor. This is basicly how the factory installed every thing in the first place, as a unit. I liked this way because you did not have to fight with anything just disconnect the periferal stuff and out it comes. Reinstall took me an hour or so to get the assembly back in and the car sitting level again. Reinstall the extras like dr shaft,exhaust, hoses/ac lines, electronics, etc.

 

This is the way to go. I just did it 2 times without a j-hook even. I did it with the intake on and it was a little tougher. The opti and water pump were still on the front too. I did have to take off the accessory bracket to get the motor to turn enough to get it out.

 

What "right equipement"?

All you need is a cherry picker and some tall jackstands. A moving dolly makes it a little easier, but that's 20 bux.

Please don't mislead if you haven't tried it. You also don't need to "realign" anything. None of the suspension is disconnected from it's alignment points, everything only bolts on one way and there is no adjustment.

Undo the brake lines, disconnect the driveshaft and tranny crossmember and shift linkage, disconnect the harness wires inside the car (4 connectors), disconnect the ABS sensors, undo coolant lines, lift car with a cherry picker set it on jackstands, move the cherry picker and drop the engine out the bottom after removing 6 bolts.

Putting everything back in later is a breeze since you don't have to hook up but a few things inside the engine compartment to get it runnin again.