I haven't done it, but have read the tales of others who have. No spring compressor necessary. Just raise the front of the car on jackstands. Compress the lower control arm with a jack. Undo the upper strut mount. Slowly lower the control arm until the strut can be fully disassembled and removed. Not really much to it. Safety first - jackstand under the control arm after you lower it, so the spring is contained by more than just the jack.

I've read of folks changing the front springs on a 124 using this method, but I think it's much more difficult to get the new spring back in. Haven't had to mess with any of this stuff on the 124s I've owned, so no personal experience.

- JimY