aandkt:
Not certain if you have found your solution yet, but here is some information I came across when looking for shocks for a specific application. I included measuring length as you will also need collapsed/shortest length, or you could be in for some harsh bumps and broken mounts
You might also want to consider a new conversion kit such as Pete and Jakes, as the position of your top mount may change the overall measurement of tube shock required.
Check Pete and Jakes hot rod tube shocks, they worked on the front end of my 1941 1/2 ton pickup. They are available in a short, (7.25"/11.25"), or long, (9.25"/14.25"), version. They also have a kit with the upper mounts included that bolt right into the original shock mounting holes and longer shackle bolts to use as a bottom mount. The other option is to get the spec listings from a shock manufacturer such as Monroe and check what they have based upon mounting style and min/max length your vehicle requires.
To determined the collapsed length measurement:
1. Measure the length of your current shock while mounted, between the two mounting points.
2. With the axle in the same position, measure the distance between the axle and the bump stop on the frame. Subtract this measurement from the measurement in step one, this is the collapsed length.
To determine the max extended length, unhook the shock and jack the car by the frame until the tire is no longer touching the ground and again, measure between the mounting points, this will be your max extended length
If you can find a shock with a min less then your compressed length and a max longer than your max needed length you won't run into issues. It is more important that the shock collapse to your minimum/collapsed length or you could break the shock or its mount. You may need to compromise.
Found a Gabriel Shock catalog online:
https://gabriel.com/catalog/
Open the Shock and Strut PDF
If you look at 'Section F' starting on page 432, it describes shock mounts, etc.., at page 438 you can look at shock specs by their part number, find the right specs and order by part number. Pages 1 through 432 are shocks by application based upon year/make/model. You can probably find catalogs for other manufactures on line or at your local parts store.
Most parts stores just want to ask what year/make/model and that doesn't work.
