Cheap Shocks for a 70 Cuda??

[Amatouring]

I have finally started to turn my attention towards my 70 Cuda. I needed it to remain pretty stock looking underneath, so no air ride or coilovers or independent rear.
I have heard great things about the XV level 1 kit, but by the time I knew they existed, I already had poly bushings in the front end, 1" torsion bars, a 1 1/8" front sway bar, a 3/4" rear sway bar and new rear springs in the car. I would rather not start over and redo all that stuff.
What I really need are decent shocks to go with that stuff. I started out with a new set of monroe gas charged shocks, but I am sure there is a better solution out there. I have had KYB shocks on some of my daily drivers and they seemed fine, but I keep reading how Bilsteins are much better without being too much more expensive but I have not been able to find Bilsteins for my application.

Does Bilstein make shocks for a 70 cuda? If not, should I just get the KYBs, or the Edelbrocks, or is there something else which would be a better chioce?
The car is never going to be anywhere near a road track, unless it is in the parking area. I still would like decent street manners, but if it could handle less like a mail truck with a flat tire and more like a modern sedan, it would be great.
Thanks in advance.

[MrQuick]

just for spirited street driving go with adjustable Konis and paint them blue.

[Project69]

just for spirited street driving go with adjustable Konis and paint them blue.

+1 on the adju. Konis. I have thses shocks and for the what they cost they work great.

[High Plains Mopars]

Well, you get what you pay for in shocks, so cheapy KYBs will feel like cheapy shocks. Think of it this way, shocks are like camshafts, they determine how well the collection of parts works as a system. Cheap shocks can make a good suspension feel like crap. On the other hand, great shocks can make a cheap suspension feel pretty darn good.

Your Cuda also is light enough with big enough spring rates that the high pressure KYBs will turn your car into a buckboard, which leads to the core of the issue, your wheel rates are high enough to require a decent shock to work well. This is probably also out of reach of Edelbrocks as well. At a minimum, I'd recommend the Mopar Peroformance Oval track racing shocks. This is a non-adjustable shock that is designed to work with the large t-bar and s-bar rates you've put under the car. Summit lists these for around $75 each, so that is a decent value. After that, I'd look at Pro shocks. These will run between $50-80 for entry level units. They don't list specific applciations for mopars, so you'll need to do some digging to find the part numbers that work best for you. Best prices on these can usually be found at speedwaymotors.com.

That is about it for mid-range pricing. After that your are getting into $100-150 per shock which gets you into non-adustable Konis and Bilsteins, and a variety of single adjustables such as QA1, Be Cool, Strange, Pro, Spax and a few others. BTW, QA1 bought out HAL and Carrera, so they are all one and the same now.

Beyond that is where you get into the really, REALLY good stuff at $200+.

[Amatouring]

I appreciate the help. I will probably end up with the Konis, even though I hate to pay that kind of money for a shock on a car that isn't driven too hard. I thought about trying the mopar shocks first since they are designed for the setup I have, but if i don't like those either, I will have 2 brand new sets of shocks I don't want to use and will still have to buy the adjustables.