While dropping my transmission, is there any other maintenance I should do?

[dobbsjr]

Hi guys, first post. Sorry if it's in the wrong place, feel free to shame me in the right direction. I am in the middle of replacing my clutch on my 94 Mazda B3000. 3.0 5 speed. im 3 days in and can't quite get the bell housing over the cross member/exhaust to drop the tranny. anyways, i know that's just a matter of time and wrasslin', and that's not my question. I replaced the heads a few months ago, and was going to change out the oil pan gasket, and realized too late that i cant drop the pan without dropping the tranny. anyways, ive had a ****ty oil leak since then because i broke the seal. my question to y'all is this: once i get the tranny dropped and the oil pan dropped, is there anything in the block that i can get to easily that i should go ahead and replace while it's all in the open? (also, any tricks to get this f**n tranny to the ground would be helpful)

 

[SoHK_alumni]

For sure, replace the rear main seal on the crank.

From your description, sounds like the exhaust is still in place, I'd probably drop that first.

I'd check the bearings and oil pump while the pan is off. Particularly the crank and rod bearings are dirt cheap, tossing in a fresh set would not hurt.