Removing front shocks

[Dino]

I didn't plan ahead again...

I have the car on stands and besides the k frame there is nothing in the engine bay.  I have 2 stands under the front of the frame rails, just behind the radiator support.  The shocks are Edelbrock IAS Classics and I don't know how to get them off as I don't see a way to compress them.  Unbolting the top nut will not make the shock stud clear the shock tower hole.  I tried jacking up the lca just to get the pressure off those nuts but the whole car lifts off the stands pretty much immediately.

How am I supposed to remove these things?   

[Dino]

Nevermind, I got it.

[myk]

What did you do?  I seem to recall just unbolting them from the LCA an pulling it out...

[Dino]

There was too much pressure on the shocks to do that so I just unbolted them from the top, pushed them down to clear the shock tower hole and left them there.  I just needed them out of the way so I can paint the engine bay.  When I reinstall them I'll have to either jack up the lca or lower the car onto the wheels to get the shock high enough through the hole to put the nut back on so it'll be one of the last jobs.  I have so much work to do on this car that I know I won't be able to do it all before grad school starts, but I sure hate taking shortcuts so if I see something that needs attention it'll receive it.  Looks like I'll be ordering all new steering link boots.  There's more grease on the outside than on the inside!  Brake lines will need replacing as well.  All the nuts going into the distribution block had been rounded.