Hi Erin.., welcome..!
And congrats...!!! You're in for a lota fun.

/
1st.) make sure the eng. is in top shape. If not, it's easy to remove now, with the T&T detached. (BTW, what
is holding the back of the eng. in place..?)
2nd.) decide what you're going to do with the completed rig. Anywhere from ******** rock crawling --
to-- some highway/some rugged 4x4'n.
3rd.) if it's the latter, the stock trannie/transfer will serve you well.
Give us all you know about your rig (use the signature page, see mine below) where you are, etc.
The more info. the better the help from folks on this board. :-B
Enjoy,
B