A shock is not the same as a strut. Struts are a LOT stronger than a shock and designed to hold your front end together. It is no where near as simple as you think.
this is just cut and pasted from Cartalk.com
Struts and shocks are very similar in function, but very different in design. The job of both is to control excessive spring motion; however, struts are also a structural component of the suspension. Struts can take the place of two or three conventional suspension components and are often used as a pivot point for steering and to adjust the position of the wheels for alignment purposes.