First day on the site, looking for some help. I am trying to remove the struts, and ran into a problem. Removed the 3 bolts from the top of the strut, leaving the center bolt alone. When I removed the nut off the bottom and tried to push the bolt through, I have a ton of pressure on the bolt. When I got the threads through the first "ear" on the lower control arm, the bolt shifted at an angle. When I put a pinch bar in between the bottom of the shock absorber and the lower control arm, I can barely budge the shock up, and can't move the bolt in or out. I have tried it with a jack supporting the weight of the truck on the lower control arm, and with the frame on a jack stand and the front suspension hanging free. The only other thing I have remove so far is the outer tie rod end. I feel like the spring is pressing the bottom of the shock into the lower control arm, but I don't think it should. Any ideas on what I've done wrong? Thanks in advance.

 

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