Devinatly sounds like a strut load bearing plate issue.
The struts are not hard to get out. Two bolts at the knuckle, and three under the hood, and they slip out. Dissassembly of the strut is much more involved, which is why I usually just bring them to a nearby shop with the replacement parts and have them disassemble. My shop has a large on the wall spring compressor and can whip out both struts within 20 minutes and only charge 20 bucks for labor.
Make sure and go with delco load bearing plates if you decide to replace. Trust me, made that mistake once.