1959 cdv shocks to use?

[Paul]

Hello. Can anyone recommend a good set of shocks for my non-ac cdv? I want a nice smooth ride but don't want it to feel unresponsive. Any thoughts on a good product to use?

[Poncholover]

For a lot of "classic" old cars, the only option is the black no-name Gabriel shocks made in Mexico.
I can wholeheartedly endorse not using them unless a soft, mushy, unresponsive  ride is acceptable...
KYB offers a very wide selection and if not a direct interchange, can usually get you within 1/2 an inch of OEM.
Worth a shot.

[dn010]

As far as I know, your two standards are either Gabriel or Monroe. I installed the Gabriel "Classic" shocks and they changed nothing for me. Still feels like the car is floating down the road. My next try was going to be Monroe but something (how cheap they are) told me that they'd be no different. Unfortunately, I have not found any 'name brand' "performance" shocks for the car, everything else is just the same black Gabriel Classic rebranded.

Comparing the available shocks on RockAuto revealed Gabriel vs. Monroe had different compressed lengths, extended lengths and overall travel lengths even though the shock was for the same application location. So as the above post stated, you have some room to work with but I wouldn't go with less travel length. I tried comparing to the KYB Series 60 shocks for 1957 but the travel length was slightly less than what both Gabriel and Monroe had to make me not feel comfortable so I passed on them. I haven't picked this up in a while so that is as far as I have gotten, but there are shocks out there that will work, you just have to spend a bit of time and research to find them.

[Poncholover]

What Dan says.

[bctexas]

I decided to change the shocks on my '65 CDV as it seemed the ones that came with the car were sub-par.  I tried Gabriels and I didn't like them.  Like almost all the available shocks, they are gas charged and as such are much stiffer in compression than the old style shocks our cars came with.  They transmit much more of the minor road irregularities into the chassis than the old shocks and IMHO ruined the ride quality.  In fact, I put the old shocks back on. 

Has anybody tried shocks from https://www.shocks2springs.com/ ?  They sell non-gas filled shocks, but they are pricey at $100 ea.

Happy Motoring!

[impalamansgarage]

... a soft, mushy, unresponsive  ride is acceptable...

Why yes it is!!    

I bought some of the Gabriel Classics recently to give them a try. We'll see how it goes
after I install them.

I looked at the shocks2springs website. Holy cow - $600 bucks for a set of shocks. Not happening.

[Clewisiii]

I ordered my shocks from shocks2springs.

I believe they cut apart gas charged gabrial classics to rebuild as original hydraulic shocks.

They look almost exactly like my gabrial classic set.

[Cadillac Jack 82]

I need a new front set for my 59.  I mistakenly gave my rebuilt shocks to a "friend" who ended up being a ****.  Oh well.

[Jon S]

I went through the same process with my 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Ended up buying KYB and am very happy with them 50,000 miles later.

[David Greenburg]

If you want the original ride and are prepared to pay for it, the best alternative is the oil-filled shocks that Carl mentioned. Or you can hunt for NORS Delco "Pleasurizers" (I'm sure there's an interesting story there), but they're getting hard to find, pricey, and might leak if you do find them. Modern gas-filled shocks are going to be stiffer.

[Moody]

A quick online search and couple hundred dollars later, I found a set of Peasurizers for my car, still in the box. Don't throw away your old oil filled shocks, they can be rebuilt, albeit pricey.

[Clewisiii]

I have been searching for P1090s for years. I have only found 1. At the time rear P1038 were easy to find so I did not focus on them. But now hard to find so I decided on the reproduction.

[Moody]

Try the more obscure non Cadillac sites. I've found some great deals on Jalopy Journal. Most of these guys are hot rodders and don't want many of the parts we are looking for.
There are several shocks on eBay right now, depending on the year.

[Clewisiii]

The P1090 was also used on a corvair. I found an ebay seller who said he had a set for the correct year range of the corvair. He said they were P1060s.

But he had a lot of dislexic wording or spelling in his listing. I tried contacting him to ask for clarification but he never answered back.

[impalamansgarage]

The front Gabriel classics are easy to come by.... the rears not so much. Found some on Partsgeek and Ebay.
I ordered from both to hedge my bets. The ones on Ebay are NOS Made in USA units.
Will take a few more days to arrive. We'll see how she does when I get all four on.