Ok, so Koni's it is. Chuck, thanks for clearing up the Bilstein question. One decision out of the way.
So now I'm trying to figure out which Koni's to order. I figured this couldn't be too hard - riiiight? Now I've got more questions:
- I would like the Koni's that are externally adjustable (knob at top). Even Koni's website is not clear about this. Are both the red and yellow (sport) shocks ext adjustable? Some indicate that only the Sport is, and others say both are. Perhaps this is moot because I plan to go with the Sports anyway.
Front shocks:
- I would like to go with the Sport model. It's rather clear that the Sport shock (8641-1039S) is only available for Boge struts. However, some threads I've read here, as well as Koni's site (
http://www.koni-na.com/display.cfm?mt_id=1&mak_id=37&my_year=1977&mod_id=1&submit=Continue)
say the Sport insert can be with the Koni strut if a different Gland Nut is used ("8641 1039Sport front can be used with OE Koni struts if gland nut 73.25.01.011.1 is ordered as well.") So, I called our host and they do not sell the gland nut. I also searched Paragon's site and couldn't find it. Can I order the nut from Koni directly? Is this the route that most people take with Koni struts, or do they stick with the Red inserts (86-1942)?
Rear Shocks:
- Koni's site lists two different rear Sport shocks available for my car: 30-1214S and 8210-1159S. Most sites that sell Koni's seem to offer the first part number only. The second part is much more expensive (on Koni's site). Does anyone know what is different about this second part number?
And what about the oil in the strut housing - some posts say leave it, some say replace it, some say dump it. It seems that if it is present in my strut, and that since I'm replacing it with another Koni, that I should leave it for cooling purposes.
thanks again for all the help.
Frank