Replacing front struts on 2003 ford taurus, the struts seem to be longer than the manufactures and a lot hard to put on. Why is this such a problem?

Trick: Place the front end on jack stands; loosen both 18mm bolts going to the half frame about 1-inch, keeping a floor jack underneath; separate the lower ball joint from the lower control arm (LCA); and pry down on the LCA with a 5-foot barbell bar. Then, everything should easily come apart and you'll be able to replace the struts in no time. This is the ideal time to replace the lower ball joints (Moog), wheel bearings (Timken), and other suspension parts. Basically, this needs to be done every 100,000 miles.