It's not all that difficult, it's just time consuming. Once the car was in the air (E-brake OFF) it went down like this;
- Support the catback with a scissor jack and release the two rear exhaust hangers and the on just upstream of the gas tank
- Remove all the fasteners holding the two rear-most exhaust shields. There are two on the rear piece and four on the front. These fasteners will appear to be a bit tricky at first, but fear not! They're most likely coated in rust, so a liberal coat of PB Blaster or the like will save you a fair bit of headache. After that's set in, a 24mm socket and a three inch extension is all you'll need to twist them off with your favorite 1/2" ratchet. I found this to be the easiest way to remove/reinstall them without risking any damage.
- Lower the scissor jack until you have room to pull the shields out the rear under the gas tank. Keep in mind that these two pieces are riveted together, probably to prevent rattles. It is possible to get them out without damaging anything, you just have to take your time and plan your next move.
- Raise the scissor jack to support the exhaust and take the stress off of the remaining hangers.
- With all of that mess out of the way, take note of where the three guards are located on the sheath of the cable you intend to replace. There is one clear plastic tube at the front and a pair of black rubber pieces with eight 1/4" fins around the outside. It is important to make sure the new cable is installed with these in the proper location to prevent what you see above.
- At the rear caliper, use a long screwdriver or small prybar to rotate the E-brake arm toward the front of the car, grab the end of the brake cable with a pair of pliers and pull it out of the arm. Take care not to unseat the return spring as it's a bit of a PITA to get back in place.
- Crawl back under the car and release the other end of the cable from the T-bracket in the exhaust channel.
- Back to the wheel well! Release the tie holding the cable to the trailing arm. You will need to do this in order to get the necessary flex out of the cable to complete the next step.
- Compress the three prongs on the spring clip that keeps the cable mounted to the caliper bracket and pull it forward. You will need to pull the cable out of the sheath a few inches in order to stretch the rubber seal at the end. If you don't, the seal at the end will bunch up and make it almost impossible to pull the assembly through unscathed. It takes some wiggling, but it can be removed without damaging the boot. This is good practice so you don't screw up the new part when you install it.
- Under the car there is a small white collar holding the cable into a bracked. Compress this with a pair of pliers and wiggle the cable free.
- Finally, there is another circular spring clip holding the forward end of the cable to the chassis. Release it and pull the cable towards the rear of the car to get it out.
- Reverse these steps to install the new piece. Remember to orient the guards correctly, especially the piece that holds the cable to the trailing arm.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. If I'd known there was going to be a how-to request I would have taken more pictures.
~Mike~