Originally posted by swalve:
......A big reason Ford says it takes so much labor is that the radiator, condensor and the fans all drop down as one unit ...
You were wise to go elsewhere, and I presume the a/c shop did not do this. The '97 Ford service manual says you can remove condenser separately from rad/fan assembly. I'd guess 1-1.5 hrs + 1 hr for evac/recharge, say 2.5 hr max plus material/parts.