Clutch/Pressure Plate Change Question.

[82 Silverado 4X]

When I put my new engine in 3 years ago I went with a cheap Advance Auto Parts clutch, pressure plate and throwout bearing. Today without any prior notice I think something in the pressure plate went bad because it's not releasing the clutch when I push down on the pedal. In the morning I plan to start tearing it down.

My question is:

Can I remove the tranny and transfer case as one unit or do they need to be split? I borrowed a very big tranny jack from a freind to support them so the combined weight should not be an issue.