Ring gear is welded to the torque converter. Flex plate is only about 8" in diameter, and bolts to both crankshaft and converter. What I would do: 1. drop the drive shaft 2. disconnect linkage rods to transmission, and cooler lines, if so equipped. 3. remove head bolt that supports top end of dipstick tube 4. back off the large fitting nut that retains dipstick tube in transmission pan, drain tranny into clean pail, and set dipstick tube aside* 5. remove the four bolts that hold transmission to bellhousing, and withdraw transmission; pull transmission straight back, and don't allow it to hang on its input shaft 6. with the transmission separated from the bellhousing and converter, you can now remove the bellhousing. a 9/16" flex socket should work on the upper screws, without need to remove the access panel. it's a good idea to undo the clips that retain the distributor cap, so it won't get broken if the engine drops at the back. 7. support the engine under the oil pan with a floor jack and a piece of wood. 8. jack up the rear of the engine, and then remove the 2 transmission mounts, keeping the spacer with the left one. as has been mentioned, it's a good idea to have new mounts on hand, as you likely will find you need them. 9. lower the rear of the engine, and remove the upper tier of bellhousing bolts; raise the rear, and remove the rest 10. now you have the fun job of maneuvering the bellhousing out of the car. It WILL come out, but you have to alternately raise and lower the engine to get it past the crossmember. Hint: bring the bottom out first. 11. with the bellhousing finally set aside, you can then remove the torque converter and flex plate. A torque converter rebuild shop should be able to replace the ring gear. Sometimes you can remove the ring gear, flip it over, and reinstall it, if the worn teeth are intact on the back side. New is better! 12. remove the flex plate, and check it for cracks, and replace if it is less than perfect. 13. reassemble in reverse order. When "stabbing" the transmission back into the converter, make sure the pump drive tangs on the converter are at 6:00 and 12:00, and the slots in the pump gear are at 9:00 and 3:00, this is easy to do, but crucial. This instruction may not make much sense when you read it here, but once you have the transmission out, and SEE the parts in question, it becomes obvious. *note: You can remove the transmission with the dipstick tube attached, but it just becomes another thing to maneuver around. I have done this job a couple of times. It is possible to do it this way. Pulling the engine and transmission works, too, but you can get hung up in the dread "might as wells." As in, "might as well paint and detail the engine compartment; might as well paint the engine; might as well knock out the core plugs and flush the block; might as well replace the exhaust pipes...." Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands Feb 2010