LCA strut removal

I'm trying to download the manual now...had it before, but lost it in a computer crash...anyway, I removed the rear nut no problem. The front nut was very hard to turn. I held the strut with a pipe wrench. I was able to unscrew it until the lead end of the nut was flush with the end of the rod. It still turns, very tight, BUT it no longer unthreads...just sits at the end spinning...WTF? Suggestions?