Anyone have any tips? As I understand it, I need to remove the driveshaft, pull out the seal, grease the new seal and stick it in. Any special tools I will need?

 

seal puller will help, but otherwise no. fairly straightforward.

 

Is it something I can rent at Autozone? Or could I substitute pliers?

 

If you are careful not to scratch anything, you won't need the seal puller. It's a fairly cheap purchase though. If you have trouble driving in the metal backed Nissan axle seal, try Napa for a plastic bodied one (that used to be the OEM style).