Help with W123 shock replacement
 

I am replacing my front shocks this weekend on my 82 240D with some new Bilstein comforts. I had quite a bit of trouble getting to the lower bolts to remove the shock - the bracket on the shock itself gets in the way, and there isn't much room for a wrench. I found that bolting the new shock in on the bottom mount is near impossible with either a socket or a closed end 12pt wrench. Is there a special tool that can help with this? Any suggestions to make this easier?

TIA

Based on a hint I read a couple weeks ago. Remove the upper connection of the shock and "swing" it over in such a way that it makes access to those fasteners more open for a 12 box box end wrench to fit. Otherwise you could just grind some of the outer edge of a box end wrench.

Thanks! I was able to grind the top end of a wrench so that it was a little more thin than normal.. worked like a charm!