I'm in the process right now of removing the head on my 96 E. It is really straight forward. The crossover pipe has to come off which is not a problem. I ended up taking off the whole bracket that the crossover goes into. Also, depending on how many miles, you may want to think about replacing the seals in the crossover/connector. Once that's off, the IM comes off with all the bolts easily exposed and minimal vacuum and electrical connections.
Matt