A little sway bar link repair help

[Nissan6Maxima]

About to replace my two sway bar links....Might be a dumb question but i want to be sure i get it right, Do i need to put my car up on jackstands or can i just leave the car as is on the ground and manage my way under it and replace the links? and Is there anything special that I should know before I start????

[allensteiner]

you'll need to jack the car up, put it on stands and take the wheels off. be careful with tightening the new links - tricky to get the torque right without overtightening. do you have the FSM link?

[Nissan6Maxima]

FSM?Got it jacked up and ready to go, but i started on the bad link, the joint was disconnected from the ball at the bottom. So as im going to turn the bolt at the top of the link, the body of it just kept rotating with the turning force and wouldnt come off, used grip pliers and a couple other tools i thought might hold it from rotating with the bolt but it wouldnt. Lowered it and walked away with frustration. Any ideas?* also, alot of people around here were telling me i dont need to take the wheels off, didnt really bother with that when i started because i didnt have a socket able to fit the lug and clear into the gap on my rims and didnt have an air wrench. What would happen if i got the link out and the car was jacked and the wheels were on?

[allensteiner]

idk...i've never done it but read somewhere that when you work on suspension take the wheels off - to release some of the load. the fsm is a Factory Service Manual which'll tell you how to do anything on your car right. here's the link:http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/maxima/1998

good luck