The mother of jobs on a TD; Chris ...
Whatever way you choose to lift the lump, you're gonna find it difficult to support it.
Luckily, I was able to put the car up on a two-post lift, which gave excellent all-round access. We then reversed a JCB up to the lift and slung some mighty thick webbing around the front crank pulley to the rear arm of the machine and let it's hydraulics take over. I wasn't really happy about doing this, but didn't fancy taking my chances with using the manifolds as lifting points. The engine mounts can't be used either, as they'll need to be disconnected from the subframe.
Now to the subframe:
It's a stout piece of fabrication, that took three of us to lift/re-align to the car. Personally, I'd disconnect the suspension by removing both wishbones. Whilst not really necessary, experience dictates this as the preferred method. The 'frame will also need to be refitted to the chassis members EXACTLY as before removal. Mine went back a tad out of true and upset the steering geometry. A planned trip to WIM was then brought forward rapidly.
Realistically, doing this job 'on your back' is a definate 'no no' and I'd be inclined to say ... 'sod it!' ... really!
PM sent, Chris!