Even if you drop the axle to replace the whole shaft can be a 'driveway job'. It's not that difficult ... just dirty & time consuming.

The only real problems I ran into was disconnecting the ball joints. They can be a real BEEEOTCH! Do NOT use a ball joint fork (pickle fork). Go get good pitman arm puller. The fork will trash your ball joint boots which are hard to find.

The only special tools you'll need are the pitman arm puller (for the ball joints, not the pitman arm ... & that's only needed if you are going to drop the axle), snap ring pliers, and possibly a tensioner for the bands on the boots.

Jo, I didn't use the bands that came with the boots. I just used zip ties & they held up just fine.

The best tip that I can give is to plan ahead. Allow plenty of time & try to get a few cell numbers of people who have done the job in case you have any questions. Print out the instructions for the boot install & maybe the one for the diff drop too. Your copy will be completely trashed from grease & stuff when done so a disposable copy is great to have.