should i be focusing on holding with the spanner and turning with the allen key? or vice versa

Vice versa.

Turn with the spanner.

wow, they are well and truly stuck.. should it be this difficult? im literally putting my body weight on the two handles and getting zero movement .. any tips n tricks? 

 

otherwise i will have to take the shocks to a mechanic during the week and ask him to put the new springs and top mounts onto the shocks for me, and that would mean the car being off the road till next weekend which i dont want

 

pic below of how im trying it, i dont have a swanneck spanner so have flattened sides of a socket down

 

I've always cracked these nuts off a bit before doing anything else, along with making sure that the top mount bolts were willing to come out. Working on things once they are off the car sometimes is a bit tricky as you end up chasing them across the garage floor!

 

I think first time I used a spark plug socket which had hex faces on it and just made it through that with an allen key, next time was with a drive through socket and a proper hex key socket.

 

Things will get better? (remember it is a nasty job)

 

Edit:- I too had trouble getting the strut insert out of the split hub, but if you are still taking that approach, giving the hub/strut interface area a good scrub with a wire brush and repeatedly applying release fluid (not just normal WD-40) and waiting some time (overnight), you will find that the hub split will be able to do its job.

Edited 4 December, 20169 yr by rum4mo

When I did  both mine about a year ago (one spring broke!) I found the front nearside spring could be removed with a spring compressor without any major dismantling. To remove the offside spring I had to also remove  the 3 bolts on the wishbone to allow removal.

Edited 4 December, 20169 yr by AndyPandy

you can ignore this now guys, thanks for the suggestions though .. ive got both of the struts out, and ive now managed to split them both and fit the new springs and top mounts to them and get them back together!

 

just need to put the new ARB bushes in and then fit the struts back in, but ive ran out of daylight now so will have to be another day

Excellant news, success is allowed - sometimes!

just for the record .. the offside strut came out with everything still connected as is, the drivers side i had to compress the spring, but again nothing else disconnected, the biggest headache was undoing the damn top mounts after haha

 

the ARB bushes look like they might be a pain mind

just for the record .. the offside strut came out with everything still connected as is, the drivers side i had to compress the spring, but again nothing else disconnected, the biggest headache was undoing the damn top mounts after haha

 

the ARB bushes look like they might be a pain mind

 

Get new clamp halves, they often strip upon removing the bolts.

Yep I got meyle bushes n they came with them