It can be a pain in the butt. Very important to get the routing of the cable right and to use the plastic spirial heat shielding in the correct place.
The special tool makes the adjustment of the new cable real easy. but it's not necessary.
It's very easy to kink the cable housing when thightening it to the bell. Don't force it.
Which special tool are you referring too? There are several.
I may have missed it, but what special tool is there for adjusting the cable on an Alpha I Gen II outdrive?