I was installing a set of Arnott air shocks on the front of my 2004 XJ8 (left hand drive). The upper ball joints had a bit of play. So I tried to remove them.
Working on the passenger side first, I removed the front side bolt (nut is removed from near the ABS module). I could not figure a way to get a wrench on the rear bolt off (nut is near the cabin air filter plenum). Is their a trick to removing this bolt? I did not check the driver's side but I'm assuming the nut near the brake master cylinder is also difficult to access.

 

Used a ratchet wrench, reaching around you can go by feel. with your fingers.

 

Even with a ratcheting wrench the swing is restricted by the bracing and space seems too tight to get much leverage. Since all I have are sockets I'll have to get a ratcheting wrench. Is a straight or off-set ratcheting wrench required?

 

Mine pivots or flexes, the GearWrench brand.
True enough, not much room to move,.
But the flexing of the box end sure helps.