.....I may try the vice-grip option for removal if I can't round up an impact gun. Curious, how did you tighten the nut on the new strut?.....
It's been a while but I think I just assembled the strut and ran the nut on with an impact. The torque is only about 70-75 lb-ft as I recall so you don't want to get carried away. Once the strut was in the vehicle and the spring compressor released, I checked the torque with a torque wrench without holding the shaft. Seemed to work. I've got another 100,000 or so on it since I did it.
