I cut a access door in my floorboard to the right of the gas pedal! Lolol!

 

How I do mine. I am Left handed and that makes a big difference to the way I tackle things like this.

Tools I used
3/8 Ratchet
7/16 swivel socket
1 short extension
Cant remember the size of the gear select linkage (I think it was 13mm)

I got under jeep head facing passenger side front tire. vvFeet toward drivers back door.

I removed the 2 bolts holding the gear linkage for a little more space. (13 mm gear wrench I believe, Could have been socket and ratchet)

I then stuck my right hand up in front of the bell-housing (engine side).

Took left hand with ratchet short extension and 7/16 swivel socket between the body and tranny.

I used my right hand to guide the socket onto the CPS bolts and broke them loose.

Then I removed the ratchet and stuck both hands up to the extension. Left hand holding the extension and right turning the bolt loose.

When they were finger loose I used my right hand from front of bell housing and pretty much reached over the bell-housing and took them out.

Putting it back on in reverse order.

There are a ton of different ways. I found that way to work for me and took very little time.

As other might say. Be careful not to drop the bolts into the slot. could be a pain taking off the dust cover to get them out.

 

Lots of good info before my post. Here is what worked for me. The first time I took the cps out it was a pita and took over an hour messing with different extensions, swivel and wobble joints. I ended up using over 3 ft of extensions and coming at it from behind the trans crossmember. It only took 15 minutes to put the new one in and would have been even less because the bolt would not engage the threads. A peanut size of aluminum foil wadded up in the socket pushed the bolt far enough forward to grab the threads. I used a wrap of tape to hold the bolt in the socket. The wobble extensions from HF are one of my favorite purchases. Good luck

 

I did something similar. Just like another poster, I'm a big guy with Popeye arms. A normal-sized guy can put my wedding band on his thumb and still have enough room to get a pencil in there too. No way in hell I was getting my hands anywhere near that thing! Tried the three feet of extensions and a wobble technique, but the socket kept slipping off.

What finally worked for me was taking the bolts out of the trans/t-case cross-member, putting a jack under it, and lowering it as much as I could. Then, I took the center console out and unscrewed the transmission shift lever and bracketry so that I had an opening in the top of the trans tunnel. A 10" extension, a small mechanics mirror, and a few minutes later I was done.

 

Heck yeah! I fractured 3 vertebrae in my lower back! I don't get under anything if I don't have to!! I cut a access door to my fuel pump as well.

 

???? Howdy Macgyver I'd bet my method in post #11 would work...maybe next time. With your left hand up past the (removed) front drive-line in your case, you can reach/hold it, guide the end of the extension/universal going down to your ratchet in your right, by the cross-member. I can just manage it without removing the drive-line, and my forearm happens to be exactly the diameter of a qt mason jar.

Anyway I hope none of us has to do that again soon...