[ajsalida]

It is a monotube and on the front, what looks like the fat diameter "rod" is just a guide tube. The shock body is up top (inside the guide tube) and the rod that connects to the piston inside the shock body is inside the strut housing connected on the bottom. There is a bump stop inside, at the bottom. Or at least that's how they used to make them.

edit: here's a diagram of a bilstein monotube mcpherson strut, compared to a OEM type twin tube strut...