rear shock replacing just some advice needed 440 se

hi i have a 440 se hatchback on an l plate i need to replace the rear shocks just wondering if the was a specific way to change these or is it pretty straight forward, they are the shocks that are seperate to the coil spring, also just as a thought is the steering rack hard to replace?? thank you in advance

For the rear it's very easy. Put the rear on axle stands (let the car rest on the stands, not the axle). Remove both wheels, remove the old dampers and undo the connectingrods to the stabiliser (and, if neccesary loosen the Watts linkage to the rear). This should be enough to lower the rear axle enough to remove the springs without having to compress them. The bumpstops are mounted within the spring, this will come off from the axle too. Remount them by using some soap. Reinstall all the links and install the new dampers. Presto! the car is ready to be put back on it's wheels. I would also change the rubber bushes from the stabilizers and linkages as those play a major role for roadhandling. Here is a thread about replacing the steering rack from the 480-europe forum:

thanks for that give it a go on saturday thing i will use spring compressors