Thanks to this forum, I was able to drop my sub frame assembly and replace lower, inner ball joints, control arm bushings/brackets and sway bar bushings.

Now, as I come down the home stretch, I'm at the point of installing new front struts and there lies my problem.
Removing the old strut was a breeze......removed the pinch bolt it slipped out without a problem.
Installing the new strut isn't going as smoothly because I can't get it to slide in the steering knuckle. I've sanded down the heaving coating of paint on strut and tried coating the strut with a thin layer of lube.........all to no avail.

So, I'm hoping someone can help by providing a tip or advice on what I may be doing incorrectly.

The plan is to finish this in the morning and then take it to the alignment shop.

Thanks!!

 

What brand of struts are these? Someone with similar should be able to help.

 

They have spreader tools available in the market. You can get by using a 1/4" socket extention in the pinch bolt slot and twisting to open the knuckel a little.
Steve

 

The job is finished and I learned plenty along the way.
As for the brand of struts, I used Billstein Touring struts.
I ended up using a 3M abrasive disk in my drill and removed the paint from the strut area that slides into the knuckle. Using a file, I dressed the bottom edge of the strut dressing the edge to a 45 degree angle. I then used a drum sander attachment and lightly cleaned up the knuckle. I did use a 1/4 drive extention in the slot to help spread it just a bit. The key is where you position the extention so as to allow full insertion of the strut.
I then dry fit the strut to ensure I wouldn't have any problems. After some fine tuning, the strut slipped in just fine.
My last step was to apply a thin coating of anti seize.

The complete job encompassed changing struts, strut mounts, inner ball joints, lower control arm brackets with new bushings, and sway bar bushings.

I tried the "short cut" method of removing the lc brackets but, it didn't work. So, I dropped the sub frame, etc and went to work.
Personally, that's what I'd recommend to anyone considering doing this install. It's not too bad and to assist me with this I simply kept my laptop on the work bench and referenced several posts that walk you through the process.

I just returned from the alignment shop so I'm good to go for now.
A tire purchase is on the near horizon but need to wait until next payday firsts as funds are a bit low right now.

I like the ride and I really like the fact that I was able to do the work myself......that allowed me to really become familiar with the car.

Thanks to all for providing the various information on this forum!!