Anti-roll bar links again (repost)

Original post was cancelled for some reason. Here goes again...

[Hope the £50 kit from Vauxhall lasts longer than the set I had put on by an independent garage for £45 including parts, labour & VAT...]

Mk3 Cav. While undoing the lower nut where the link sticks through the suspension lower arm, the suspension spring naturally pushes the whole lot down. I thought I would be able to put a jack under the lower arm and ease it up again, but that didn't work. I chickened out before I undid the nut fully because I can't see how I'm going to get the suspension arm up again when the new link is in place. Do I need spring compressors, should I be able to jack the suspension arm up or am I being a complete tit and missing something obvious?

Thanks

Pete

P.S. Thanks Malc for your reply to the original message, I am reposting because some news servers won't have got the original.

if you undo the links on both sides you will be able to swing the anti rollbar up and down, replace the links then when you want to put it all back together line the drop links up ( to go back through the hole in the lower arm ) as best you can and push down on the antiroll bar, if they line up you should *just* about be able to get a nut on the bottom of them. If you can't either put the wheel back on ( on full lock ) and start lowering the car down, again if they line up you should get a nut on the bottom of the drop link before the car is totally down. Alternatively jack up the hub or the lower balljoint of the lower arm (block of wood inbetween car adn jack of course ) until you can get the drop link nut on. No doubt someone will say this will wreck the wheel bearings but I've done it before with no ill effect. Be very very careful jacking Mk3 Cavs/Astras up on the lower arms, they are weak and snap/crack - not funny if you are driving at the time.

The trick of this job is to do both sides at the same time, otherwise you end up fighting against the torsion of the antiroll bar, which makes it hard work indeed!