Have any of you attempted to replace your own struts on a Catera?

I own a 98 Catera with about 120,000 miles on it and I don't think the suspension has ever been serviced.

I was thinking about trying to replace the struts myself but I was wondering if anyone would have any advise.
Would I need to get the J 34013 strut compressor that is shown in the service manual or will a standard one work?
Any useful tips that aren't mentioned in the service manual? (I noticed this service manual is not as nice as the one I had for my old DeVille.)

Also, I was looking into replacing the control arm bushings. Am I really going to need the special tools mentioned in the service manual to perform this task or is there an easier way?

If you don't have a shop and press, don't even attempt to replace the control arm bushings yourself, I watched those two guys who worked on replacing mine and boy did they get themselves some pain in the behind.