I was planning on doing this job in my driveway with hand tools on my 87 745. I ended up doing it in a well equipped shop and it went very well BUT! Without air tools and a real torch this job would have been a couple of days in the doing I bet. I read the procedures in the FAQ and the manual several times. Read the part about the energy stored in a spring a few more times. I needed to alternate heat with penetrating oil to get the nut that holds the shock to the strut cartridge loose and I used a lot of heat. I don't think a propane soldering torch would have done the trick, but then again these were original strut inserts on a 15 yr old car - yours might be different. Good luck. Make sure you take note of the order of washers when you disassemble.