Struts & springs - impossible?

[Frisbeeguy]

You could have slid the strut bellows up and clamped down on the strut shaft with a pair of vise-grips, and tried to loosen the nut.

Ya, I couldn't get the vise grips to stay locked onto the shaft so attacked w/ the grinder. I don't like destruction so always try to keep parts usable... even when done w/ them.

 

[Frisbeeguy]

Compared to the rears the fronts should be a cake walk.

I'm counting on that! Only have a 1/2 day today to work on it & then taking off on vacation for a week Sun. morning.

 

[Frisbeeguy]

Also, if you removed the back shelf on the interior of the car ( think that's what it's called) you can access the 3 nuts on top of the strut assembly with ease. Not a lot of help afteryour done though.

Two of the three are easy and the passenger side wasn't bad. I didn't want to do anything from the inside if possible. I thought you'd need to remove the seat and seat belt retracters and didn't want to go there.

The one nut was tough because of the wiring bundle on the drivers side and awkwardness of the location. Was only able to do one wrench flat at a time. (and on the second side remembered to place the nut over the hole so it would be on the stud as it came up - no room to install it after the strut is up all the way from the bottom.)