That's the way that the Mercury service manual says to do it, but what I didn't understand was why they tell you to start off in forward gear before you tilt the motor all the way up and then shift to neutral after the latch is locked.
From what I've read, it seems pulling the LU off and replacing the impeller and all the gaskets is fairly easy, however sliding the lower unit back on can be a bit of a nightmare! I have the Mercury service manual for my motor (1978 1150 ELPT), and it states to First shift into forward gear...
