Bossrench said; "You can leave the bellhousing in place for what you need."
That is only true if you have had it out previously and not put back the two internal Allen bolts that hold the bellhousing to the ZF. A lot of folks advocate leaving them out for future ease of removal, personally I put them back as 7 bolts are better than 5!
Also the length does not change with the bellhousing attached as the longest part is the input shaft.
To get the clearance to lift the ZF side mounts over the chassis mounting tabs you'll want to tilt the engine up at that back with a block and jack. Be careful where you place the jack if you have stock oil pan as the pan can crush easily and then the crank will hit it. If you have an aftermarket 10 quart pan it's easier.