Brian,
I just went through that with my 59 Ambassador International. I looked at
RJ's site and how he rebuilt the suspension on his 56 Flying Cloud but
unfortunately the shock # he had listed didn't correspond to any Monroe #
listed at Advance Auto Parts. I ended up going with rear shocks from a 74
Corvette, Monroe Gas-Matic #55850 @ $13.98 ea. They are slightly longer than
the originals when compressed however when I checked the minimum space
available for the shock by jacking the axle up to the point that the shackle
hit the frame, this shock still had some available compression. The diameter
fit perfectly as well. I painted them black and installed them. We went to
the Cherry Blossom Rally 5 weeks ago (approx 600 miles) and didn't have any
problems.
Colin
Assorted Vintage Airstreams