Maybe someone has posted this before, but nothing came up in a search, so here goes ...
The basic trick to removing and replacing the front shocks is to compress them to remove them and again to put them back in. Removal is hard because the easiest way to compress the shock is from the top, but then you are in a situation of pulling down and simultaneously lifting up to free the bottom mount. So I was in this situation on a 230SL I take care of, and had an idea.
After removing the nuts at the top and bottom, grab the shock near the top and pull it down and out of the hole. Cant it to the rear and place a piece of 2x4 between the threaded rod and the fender. Then take a piece of wire, 30" or so, and loop it around the rod, down the shock and inside the control arm, through the hole at the bottom, up to join the other end, and twist the ends together with a pair of pliers. I used #14 house wire. Pull down to compress the shock a bit and remove the 2x4. Then with the shock held in a compressed position by the wire, tilt it more toward the rear and maneuver it down and out through the control arm.
Installation is the reverse. Pre-thread the wire, stand the shock up on the floor, and compress it by pushing it down, and secure it with the wire. Maneuver it into position and get the studs into the holes at the bottom. Grab and hold the shock near the top with one hand, and undo the wire with the other and allow the shock to rise into the hole at the top. Secure with nuts at the top and bottom and you’re done.