We just removed mine and replaced it with a tubular one. I say it will take a good 4-5 hours to dop it out. Its not really hard, just sorta time consuming. And be sure to make a sturdy engine rest, as the K member is the only thing holding it up. So, what are you wanting to do?BBK LTs REQUIRE you to drop the K, I dont see ANY way around it lol, and we still had to jack the engine up and down to get to certain header bolts.