The car is a 1988 760 turbo sedan with mk1 IRS. I'm trying to change out the bad nivomat for a good one. I tried following the instructions in the FAQ, but that got me no where. The hole in the control arm is too small for the shock to drop out of. This is the first time i've done this procedure though i've done plenty of other work on Volvos. I would greatly appreciate any help. What's written about it in the faq..

"Maybe, maybe not. Just jack the car up under the shock, use about three long cable ties hooked together to hold the shock compressed, and then jack the car up letting the suspension hang...."
Where does one attach these cable ties to keep the shock compressed. I can see how they could go around the bottom of the shock, but what about the top? It doesn't look very easy to get wire or cable ties up around the top... is there some other location to secure them? How much can the nivomat be compressed? I get it to a certain point and it doesn't want to easily move anymore, is that enough?

Does the spring need to be secured in a similar fashion? Is there anything that needs to be done to the spring? I'm assuming the spring has to come out with the shock..?

"Take the holding bolts out and remove the shock. A compressed Nivomat is short enough to wrangle out throught the top of the control arm without unbolting it. Use bailing wire or long Ty-wraps to keep it compressed before it's unbolted, or you can try to jam the bottom up and over...."
What is meant by wrangling the nivomat through the top of the control arm without unbolting it?

What's the best way to compress the new shock for installation? If I have to resort to unbolting the control arm, will I have to get the rear end aligned?

Any aid would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.