Coincidentally, I have a new pair of front Bilstein HD's here that I am planning to install in my 85 300TD. I can compress them by putting my weight on them, but I can't hold them in for long. You are probably stronger than I am.

As I recall, I used a bottle jack to get them on my other car. The fronts were easier than the back, because the rear shocks on my 90 300TD sedan kept turning, making lining up the boltholes impossible. I recall I used a tool called a picklefork with a long piece of pipe on the end to coax the rear shock into place. the right rear one took two hours, the left one only about five minutes, because I learnied by trial and error how to get it in position most easily.

__________________
Semibodacious Transmogrifications a Specialty

1990 300D 2.5 Turbo sedan 171K (Rudolf)
1985 300D Turbo TD Wagon 219K (Remuda)

"Time flies like and arrow, yet fruit flies like a banana"
---Marx (Groucho)