Well, as I started this thread six years ago, and received some useful thoughts, I decided to raise a further question (or idea). As some of you my know, about 9 years ago I bought a junkyard '50 Super to aid in my switch from the Dynaflow to a stick shift in my '51 Special. My deal with the yard was I could take anything I wanted from the Super while it sat in the yard. So, in addition to the 263 and its transmission (from it's radiator back to the driveshaft), I pulled odds and ends off of it. The rear shocks ended up in my garage, with the thought they might be useful. That time may have arrived. The rear shocks on the '51 Special, which I filled with jack oil, have leaked every since. To the point I slide sheets of cardboard under those shocks whenever I parked it inside.
So, I decided I should have the rears on the "51 rebuilt. That meant pricing out the job, and learning it would cost from $400 to $600, plus shipping my old shocks out in the hope they could be rebuilt. I conclulded that I could avoid having the '51 sit "shockless" by instead having the rear shocks salvaged off of the junkyard Super rebuilt. I dug them out of my garage to get some idea if they were likely rebuildable.
I first checked to see if they had gotten locked up while sitting. They had not. In fact, the levers moved (stiffly) through the entire designed range. Next, because they were covered both in rust and packed dirty oil, I checked to see if they were dry. They were not dry. They were full. And, because of the appearance of the screws on the cover, I then knew both shocks had been opened, and thus possibly serviced at some point in the past, and that they were not leaking. (There was greasy dirt all over the bottom of the junkyard Super, and the differential housing was as grimy as the shocks.)
This gets to my question: Should I just put the junkyard shocks on the '51, and see whether or not I still need any rear shocks to be rebuilt? Remember, its no show car, and I never wanted it to be otherwise. And I am disinclined to waste money.
Whatcha guys think?