1997 Lincoln Continental Front Lower Ball Joints

I am in the process of changing the lower ball joints and having a difficult time getting the strut off. I was reading other materials on your site where the welds had been cut on the plate on top of the strut assembly under the hood. Do you recommend taking the strut out through the top to disassemble the assembly to get to the ball joint? I am compressing the spring on the strut but it just does not seem to be giving me enough room to get the job done.