My '60 needs shocks. I've read through the prior discussions of hydraulic v. gas, and don't want to rekindle that debate. While I would prefer hydraulic to help offset the increased harshness from radials, it appears the only way to get rears would be to get the ones from shocks2springs, which are pricey. My question is whether it's appropriate to mix different brands, front and rear. Somebody already did that on my car- the old ones are Monroe Sensa-trac up front, and AC-Delco in the rear. I certainly would not want to mix gas and hydraulic, but what about mixing brands? My inclination is to get 4 of the same brand/series. But hydraulic fronts are available fairly reasonably; I could keep the cost down by getting my fronts from an other supplier, and rears from shocks2springs. Similarly, among the gas-charged brands, Monroe OE Spectrum has been recommended, but the rears don't seem to be available. Rears are available from Gabriel and Delco. But I'm concerned about compatibility. Thoughts welcome.
No they should be a matching pair to ensure they're the same. Should be gas shocks. Fluid went out in the mid 50s to my knowledge. My 54 Buick had hydraulic knee shocks in the back and I believe the same era Cadillac had large fluid filled shocks.
While shock technology has moved to gas, the oil filled hydraulic ones are still available and being reproduced. While gas gives better performance, it does give a stiffer ride, and based on past discussions here, it seems that those who wanted to return to the softer ride found that switching to hydraulic helped soften the ride. Even with the mismatched gas shocks, my car rides quite well, but it does get jittery on things like railroad crossings, and I've heard that the hydraulics will help that.
I'm not sure what the suspension geometry is like in this specific era or models but with some of the designs the ride height has a huge effect on the feel and performance. Its worth checking to see how close it is to the original height. If its off by a few inches that may have to be corrected to restore something closer to the original experience. Bushings also need to be replaced and try to find rubber ones not the harder urethane.