Thanks for all the great info in this thread! I replaced my AC clutch and coil based on the step by step instructions above and now have AC back in my 2001 Taurus SE with the 3.0 Vulcan. It took all day but I'm not the fastest mechanic.
A few thoughts:
* I'm happy I dropped the subframe rather than used the mirror method. After I removed the old clutch it was very difficult to get the new one all the way on so the snap ring would go in the groove. I ended up having to do a lot of cleaning to get it to fit. It would have been really difficult from the top.
* I didn't have a proper tool to hold the clutch to torque the center bolt. An adjustable pin spanner or strap wrench would be best but I had neither so I drilled and tapped a piece of metal for a pair of 1/4" bolts. The bolts just stuck through the metal and were the same distance apart as the holes in the clutch so it could keep the clutch from moving.
* Take your time with the washers for the clutch adjustment and use a feeler gauge.
* Once I had replaced the clutch the AC still wouldn't work. I wasn't getting power at the clutch. It turned out that the shredded clutch had shorted the coil and blown the 10 amp underhood fuse for the AC.
* If you don't mind living without AC or just want to keep the car running until you have time to fix the AC clutch, bypass the AC pulley by replacing the stock serpentine belt with a shorter one. I used a Gates K060795 which is 80 1/8" long. It just grazed the ribs on the AC pulley and got me from North Dakota back to Wisconsin with no signs of wear. I think it would run forever like this, especially if you removed the AC pulley so it didn't touch at all.
Here are a couple pics from the process: