1996 Ford F150 4WD radius arm bushing replacement

I’m replacing the radius arm bushings on my 1996 Ford F150 4WD and have removed the end bolt on the driver side radius arm. I’m not sure now which course of action to take in pulling the end of the radius arm out of the bracket hole in order to replace the old bushings with the new. The bracket is mounted with one bolt and three rivets. I could drill out the rivets to release the bracket and then reattach the bracket with bolts. The other option is one that I found on You-tube which is to remove the bolts holding the top of the spring and shock at the wheel as well as the pivot axle bolt which will theoretically allow the radius arm to move forward out of the bracket hole. It worked for the guy on You-tube but his truck wasn’t a 4WD.Because the gear box for my 4WD is part of the axle shaft, I’m thinking I’d also have to remove the drive shaft attached to this gear box as well. this option sounds like a lot of work but drilling through rivets might not be a walk in the park. I’m wondering if there is anyone out there who has tackled a job like this on a 4WD F150 of this age and could share their experience with me. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.