Toyota Repair: 97 celica strut replacement, strut assembly, rear strut

Question
'97 celica gt convertible:  need rear strut replacement and will be doing the work myself...do i need a spring compressor or will loosening the top nuts and mounting bolts allow the strut to slide down and out? any other instructional hints/advice would be appreciated.  thank you.

Answer
A spring compressor is necessary to replace the struts, the entire strut assembly has to be removed from the car and then the spring compressed to get the strut out, the compressed spring is then installed on the new strut and the spring released. Do not under any circumstances remove the large nut in the center of the strut mount, only remove the three 14mm nuts on the top.