Did the rear, no problems...took less than an hour. I'm now working on the fronts. I'm working on the driver's side shock/spring assembly. The spring cup (rubber piece that mounts to shock post and holds spring at the top, while fitting inside upper control arm) will not come off the shock post. The rusted nut was a bitch, but it's off, the rubber piece that sits inside the spring cup (and distributes the force of the nut over the spring cup) is out, no problems. It seems like there is nothing that should be keeping it on, and the how-to sheet is worded like it should just fall right off. But i've tried everything I can come up with (twisting, prying, holding bottom of shock down under my feet while pulling upward with both hands on spring cup) and this thing will not so much as budge. Not even a hint of movement. I even tried loosening the spring compressors a bit figuring a 400lb+ spring should surely budge it, but it won't!

Anybody here encounter this problem and have any tips for me?

 

I just had the same problem, I ended up ripping the rubber part off, with some chisel/BFH work, so that there was just a two inch metal sleeve left where the strut mount (that's what it's called) was. Make sure your spring is compressed when you attempt this. Anyways, after I hacksawed that part off as far down as I could go, the rest fell right off, because it was just the very top that rusted together. Make sure you can get a replacement strut mount too. I had to drive a little ways to find one on a Saturday afternoon.

 

you can slowly release the spring compressor and it will push it off. That is what i did when i did my brothers and my car.

 

I tried that but it seems to just overstress the rubber...i can try going even further but I was afraid it would tear the rubber. Was yours like that too?

 

no it was tight but soon as i let out pressure it pushed it out . Did you try some lube or liquid wrench on the rubber then let pressure on it ?