The head removal is not as bad as you might think. I've done it many times, it just takes a little longer than you'd probably like it to. It's about a half hour of labor to get the thing off.
Basically, you want to remove only the connectors that lead from the backbox to the playfield and label them based on the connector name printed on the circuit board (J1, J2, etc). There are some connectors that lead to other places in the backbox, so there will be some connectors that can stay in place. Most connectors have a key so that you can't put them on incorrectly, but this is a "better safe than sorry" type of scenario. As mentioned, there is also a silver ground wire that hooks underneath a wingnut on the floor of the backbox that needs to be removed as well.
With the connectors removed, labelled, and shoved into the cabinet, you will have to remove the 6 bolts (3 on either side) that connect the left and right swinging hinges to the bottom of the backbox. When you are done, these hinges will swing freely from the sides of the playfield cabinet, so you may want to secure them for the ride to avoid them scratching the cabinet. They do not need to be fully removed.
After that, remove the standard backbox bolts and keep a hand on the backbox, as it will become loose at this point and is top heavy, even with the rear latch engaged. Have someone hold onto the backbox while you reassemble the display panel/backglass. Then release the rear latch and lift it off.
Done! The reassembly process is basically the reverse of this. Good luck!
-BB