I'd say (if you don't have a lift...) use jackstands & put the front end up in the air. Pull the wheels. You'll want a fairly narrow head on the jack (I had to improvise with some "short lengths" of 2x4) so you can get right out on the end of the control arm and retain access to the nuts attaching the shock (13 mm). From the (shock) fully extended position you can slowly lower the control arm and get the shock out. Don't go too far (keep an eye on the brake line - don't stretch it!)

"Theoretically" you don't have to pull the wheels, but unless you are on a lift, etc, you will want to have plenty of space to work with everything really stable since bad things could happen if the control arm loses its support without the shock in place.

Obviously, you'll have to pull the coolant bottle on the right side. The service manual is adamant that the rod of the shock not turn while the top nut is unscrewed - the shock could come apart internally.

There are other ways to do this, of course. I just did the subframe bushings on our '87 yesterday, so everything is fresh in my mind...tho I didn't actually change the shocks.

best,

Dave
'87 560sl getting very driveable