I have not done so myself, but I always imagined that it would require dropping out the engine. As such I'd call it a tedious but well-defined task for someone with a lift and plenty of time. If the job can actually be done without removing the engine, yes that sounds incredibly frustrating.

The 993 series in general is still a fantastic car today but the turbo model in particular looked absolutely stunning when it was introduced. They gave up a lot of character when they re-tooled in 1999.

I agree. The 996 was just too bland, but still sold much more units than the 993. Go figure.

OT: I once tried to talk a client into dropping a 3.6 993 engine into a 996 Carrera. Everything lines up, but he was afraid of the resale value of the car. Would have been a fun experiment. :)