Just finished new front strut install and this thread was gold helping me get the KDSS links back in. Still, it literally took me 2 hours and a lot of cussing. My method was:
1. Bottle jack under passenger LCA to raise the tie rod off the disconnected KDSS bar.
2. Floor jack under driver side LCA to facilitate up and down adjustment.
3. Ratchet strap to pull driver side KDSS link into a more vertical position.
4. Adjust driver side LCA with floor jack to get the link in the pocket and to align the front of the bushing with the hole.
5. Use deep socket with long extension to allow leverage on the bolt to get the back side of the rubber bushing aligned with the captive nut. This is key as I don’t think you can ever get the KDSS bushing aligned (with the top bolt connected) any other way.
6. After the driver side is in, the passenger side should be reasonably aligned above the LCA pocket. Then I used my big floor jack to push up on the KDSS cylinder (driver side) which pushes the passenger side down and into the pocket. You could also maybe use the bottle jack under the passenger side to move the LCA but your fighting the strut.
7. Get passenger aligned and use the deep socket and extension to install the bolt.
8. Torque the bolts with vehicle on the ground. If you loosened the 4 (two each side) stabilizer bar mounting bolts retorque them with the vehicle in the air (per FSM). Torque the rest with vehicle on the ground.
I’d also recommend having new bolts on hand. Mine were pretty corroded.
