Yes Sir, the bottom one. Anyhow, I gave up! It's going to an indy shop this thursday. none of the nuts from the bottom wants to come off.

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98 ML320 (gone but not forgotten)

Here's a picture of the bottom of the strut. No place on mine to put T30 or anything else for a counterhold. Maybe because you could not get a socket on the nut at the bottom if you you had the counterhold there.

Also I still think you need to support the wishbone from the bottom because of all the force the shock exerts downward, otherwise the wishbone could release violently when the nut is removed.

The shock and spring are changed out as a unit when you use the MB part. If you have the truck jacked up where the wheels are off the ground, you have already unloaded the shock/spring assembly, thus, no dangerous condition when you unbolt the entire assembly. Further, the nut is on the bottom simply to stabilize the strut. The strut and spring push down on the wishbone, not pull up. When you take that bottom nut off, the wishbone actually falls off the strut, it is not pushed down by the spring. If it did not, you would need to remove the wishbone to change the struts, which is not the case.

Gang,
Finally got the truck back from the indy. It rides like new again. I am so surprised the strut/spring has deteriorated so fast in only 70k miles. I now have new front and back shocks and strut/spring, good for another 70k mile or so I guess.

By the way, how come no one suggested me to go buy an impact wrench and wrestle with the stuck nut??? I feel like a dope after I saw the mechanic spun the nut out with the impact wrench in no time. anyhow, with an impact wrench, counter holding the shaft isn't necessary (as Ron has described). for the $$ I paid the mechanic, I could have done the job and kept a new toy.

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98 ML320 (gone but not forgotten)

Glad that worked. I have a big, fast impact wrench, and all it did on mine was spin the nut, stud, and ball on the other end (i.e., counterholding the shaft was a must). I guess, you lucked out and the nut was not fully "frozen". If the impact would not have worked, your mechanic bill would have been $$+$$$=$$$$$, as then it gets to be time to be "creative".

well, I thought about taking the whole lower wishbone off together with the strut/spring if the nut wouldn't come off. Then use a dremel to cut off the rubber boot and ball joint of the strut/spring assembly to free it from the wishbone. Mechanic completed the job without a hitch. The only complaint he had to me was the top nuts were a b&*tch to tighten. I gave him all new self locking nuts to complete the job, hehehe, made my money well spent. Anyhow, I ended up fixing his computer and recouped some of the money that I paid him.

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98 ML320 (gone but not forgotten)