as thread goes, im removing my trans from my 4-door, and need to know if dropping my sub-frame is necessary, also will a rebuild be cheaper than buying a salvaged trans?

 

Yes on the 98 you need to 'hang' the motor from above, then drop the subframe out.
A salvage yard trans "was running when the car crashed", yet if you have someone that is Qualified to do a good rebuild, you might have peace of mind that you won't be sitting on the side of the road next month.

 

get a honda reman unit.........I had my trans rebuilt 3x within 11K miles and it still failed again at 100K

 

all you need to do is drop the front part of the subframe. as long as you dont touch the rear motor mount, you wont need to hang your motor since the rear mount and the side mount will hold it in. but i would suggest a block of wood or jackstand under the oil pan just to take some of the stress off of those 2 mounts