I replaced the passenger-side RA bushings on my '94 Explorer a few months ago, following the instructions in the Haynes book. I'd read the comments about this subject on this newsgroup, and consensus seemed to be that this was the best approach. It took me about 6 hours, and I scratched and bruised my arms R&R'ing the spring.
I attempted to do the same on the driver's side yesterday, and found a few bolts that were so frozen that I gave up. I took it to Pep Boys and they did the job in about 1 1/2 hours. When I asked the mechanic how he removed the spring, he told me "Are you kidding? I cut off the rivets!"
Brady