Cant say about the condition of your strut inserts but if they are the orignal ones, I would replace them.
The gland nuts you will re-use and yes you can use a pipe wrench or like I did a large pair of channelocks.
I replaced mine with Koni's, most on this board seem to prefer Bilstiens. But I got a good buy on the Koni's, and they made a huge difference in handling.
Good luck.....................KC
