Shocks: looking for Blistein quality at KYB price.

I agree but there is sortof a jump from the large factory bars to the aftermarket bars (for Abody) around .990

I can vouch for the KYBs being worse for the street even though they may have been a better match for the 1.03 bars - and I was autocrossing 6-12 events each year. My friend gave up on them for his SAAB as well.
What everybody needs if they are seriously driving these cars and a decent road handling is a front sway bar. That's really the one item I push (pun unintended).

I can't speak to the RCD Bilsteins out of personal experience because I went with SPAX, which were only $100 a corner and that was considered a bargin for performance shocks. Back when Koni reds were the only other somewhat available choice.

the spax were a smoking deal back in the day-- and that was also real money then! ;)

but yeah, the middleages of either coughing up for koni's or modifying QA1's from the roundy-round catalog... so glad that's behind us.

one of my set ups was gabriel's from a bronco 2 out back with koni reds up front so i only had to spend one paycheck instead of two.