Shock absorber opinion
I just replaced my KYB Gas Adjust shocks. They were sufficient for a cruiser but I wanted a high performance shock son I put some Hotchkis Fox shocks on. I will be upgrading the factory sway bar and getting new leafs when I do my 8-3/4 soon.
Here’s my take on shocks after having used all of these:
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Hotchkis if you want premium performance at a premium price (I bought mine NIB from here!). Most expensive.
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Bilstein is the second best and second most expensive.
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KYB. Really a decent shock for a cruiser and you can’t go wrong if you aren’t cornering aggressively.
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Gabriel/
Monroe. Low budget but they will keep you Mopar on the road. Lowest price, lowest performance.
There’s another red and white one I’ve used but it doesn’t stand out in my memory.
You see how performance and quality correlate with price?
It does sound like you need new springs like myself. I’ve been looking at
General Spring (cheap/made in USA), Rock Auto’s
Dayton springs (2nd cheapest), and
Eaton.
I am after the 1968 Dart 383 spring that is 130 lbs/in rate. They have them in 120 too. If your cruiser doesn’t tow or carry a full load of fat people that is a good spring rate for performance cornering. General Spring out of KC has these in stock and can arch into a +1” or whatever you want before they ship. Seems like the best most customizable option and they are the cheapest!
1964 - 1976 Dart, Valiant / 1964 - 1969 Barracuda rear leaf spring with 5/8" front eye bolt, 6 leaf
Good luck!