Toyota Repair: 94 Previa - front strut replacement, time ted, toyota dealer

Question
I took my 1994 Previa LE van, 136,000 miles, in to Sears to have my shocks and struts replaced.  My wife drives the vehicle and the handling seem mushy and the shocks bottom out in certain bumps.  I am also going through tires @ 25-30,000 miles with proper air and rotation.  The shocks were on sale and they gave the best price on installation...how could I go wrong?  The salesperson came in the waitng area and said they would not touch a Previa van's front struts.  The last time it took them all day and they had to take the dash out to do it.  They also had to have a guy come from the Toyota dealer to assist.  The dealer wants $260, $130 per side, for the labor to replace my struts.  I was told by another mechanic that one simply needs to loosen the dash.  Can you give me the correct procedure so I can decide whether or not I can avoid the dealer cost and do it myself with my mechanic buddy?  Thanks for your time Ted.

Answer
The dash does not need to be removed, the top mounts can be reached, on the left side remove the cover below the steering wheel, you can access the mounting nuts just under the dash, on the right side remove the glove box completely and you can get to the upper mount in there, there is not much space but with the right tools it can be done