97 GA rear struts/shocks?

First of all I apologize for probably not knowing anything Ill be talking about :) I have a 3.1 V6 97 Grand AM. Looking at my rear suspension, Im thinking that they are shocks correct? Or struts? Ive been looking online for parts, being that the job looks relatively easy(maybe the front not so much) and wanted some insight on this type of job? I have a loud rattle when going over bumps, however my car doesn't bounce all over the place. And the shock/strut that makes noise(back driver side), is pretty much layered in grease/oil/gas or whichever of these it may be. Plus there seems to be a pull to the left while I am driving so I heard that could be part of the deal.
The one part I looked at online says that they are a tube gas shock, for an example? Im not seeing any sort of fuel line or any type of line running to this shock/strut so I get quite confused. It looks as if there is a larger nut from the trunk mount along with two smaller ones on each side that need to be taken off. Then on the bottom mount there is two larger(one on the side and one on the bottom) bolts that need to be taken off. Is that all that needs to be done, or will you actually need to compress the spring?
One of the steps I found online:
Raise the rear end of the Grand Am and support it by the frame. Remove the rear wheels. Use a permanent marker to mark the knuckle with the position and orientation of the strut. Pop the trunk and remove the access panels.

What part is the knuckle:headshake ?

Im guessing the front end is a strut since the spring is surrounding the absorber? And the rear, the absorber is closer to the tire and the spring is closer towards the middle of the car.(not actually the middle but..) So any help would be appreciated and looking forward to any info I get. Thanks!

p.s. What particular part would you recommend?

I guess I can narrow this down. So what is the difference between shocks and struts. Im gathering I have shocks in the rear end of my car, so do I need to actually compress the spring in order to replace the shock? Also Im aware I need a torque wrench and that would be about it for equipment. Im not the most intelligent on explainin this crap but I do think Im capable of doing alot of this type of work :loser: . Im a little confused on the whole gas/air ect type of struts? I am aware of air shocks, but not gas shocks if there are such a thing. As I mentioned first post, I don't see anything special on my car no such as a wire or hose running to the shock....Please help and sorry about posting horribly and responding to posts from two years ago :loser: I was in a hurry earlier!

You can get struts that all you have to do is just install them. You do not need the coil spring tool to collapse the spring. I think that the rear has struts also but I am not positive. It is not very hard to do and you will save some decent money by doing it yourself.

You can get struts that all you have to do is just install them. You do not need the coil spring tool to collapse the spring. I think that the rear has struts also but I am not positive. It is not very hard to do and you will save some decent money by doing it yourself.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah Im putting in time on this forum in hope of saving some money. I typed in struts on a couple online sites for 97 grand ams and the only thing that came up was shock absorbers for the rear end, so Im guessing that is what I have. So Im guessing I wont have to collapse the spring.. If this is off course, someone please say so:) I don't have to use a torque wrench on shocks do I? Im thinking Ill go with these:
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/details/QQPontiacQQGrand_AmQQMonroeQQShock_AbsorberQQ19951 998QQTS5970.html

You do need a coil spring compressor to replace the front struts, rear shocks are much easier!

Here is a link (http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/09/e2/06/0900823d8009e206/repairInfoPages.htm)that should help you get these replaced. :thumbsup:

Hope that helps !