Strut replacement idiot's guide?, Haynes a little vague....for a newbie! Options

[tadink]

Hey all -

I'm going to be replacing front and rear shocks / struts - and after looking at the Haynes manual, I'm wondering if someone has posted "the idiot's guide" for doing this?

In particular, the photo in Haynes shows a special tool-looking gadget holding the locking plate in place while loosening the nut (figure 7.5, page 101). Is that thing the dude is holding in his left hand an integral part of this procedure?

Also - for a strut insert, is this a 'strut off the car' procedure? I read a recent post where someone talked about this taking like 38 minute per side, taking the whole strut assembly off the car seems like it would take a LOT longer than that!

Please help the ignorant -

thx

td

[Chris Pincetich]

You can du it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif)
For fronts, be careful careful not to kink the brake hose or scratch your paint when contorting the insert from and into the strut.
I always loosen the top nut on the rear shock inside the trunk before lifting the rear of the car. I have KONI yellows with a mini-nut that holds the shock tube from spinning on top, so I can manage that top nut w/o needing to hold the insert from spinning to opposite direction.
Good luck (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)