20 minutes or so, tops.
Yes, the front of the cage needs to come off, the front storage bin out, all the clips around the top of the fenders, all the screws around the top (lamps, front plastic, etc). It's really not that bad. The whole front needs to be pushed towards the cabin, come up and over the front lower mounts for the front of the cage, and then just laid it back. All the wiring is right there. There is no other way to pull that dash out, no matter how simple you wish that should be.

It's really not that bad of a job.