You can pull it out the top. but it's more work with the potential to do some damage. In order to get the engine out the top, you have to remove everything from the front of the engine. This is so you can clear the overhang under the front of the hood. Your best bet is to remove the hood, raise the car onto tall jack stands, remove the radiator, remove the shifter from inside the car, disconnect brake hoses, fuel line, clutch hose, throttle cable, speedo cable, ground straps, electrical connections, and steering shaft. Then you unbolt the four subframe mounting bolts, trans mount, driveshaft, and strut top mount bolts. Lower the whole assembly out the bottom using an engine crane. You can leave the trans in place if you wish by removing the bell house to engine bolts, but "while your in there", yada yada yada. If your plan is to remove the engine for a rebuild, then your better off tearing it apart inside the engine bay piece by piece, before finally removing the short block. That way all of the attachments to the engine are left dangling sort of in place. Power steering pump is the worst part of the job. Nearly inaccessible mounting bolts. Good luck, it's not that bad of a job, TR7 engines are far more difficult to remove.