Eric,
I'm going to be a bit of kill joy here. Mostly because one has to have an idea of what they want in a shock, to know what is best for the vehicle. Remember that the springs do the work. The shocks control what I call the "squish" rate and the rebound rate. If these are not matched to the spring rate, it really doesn't matter what shock is installed. For that reason, I would suggest the $22 monroes. Rancho's are great, but unless you know the numbers you're looking for, it's money out the window.
Here's why: If you have a stiff shock on both, the squish and the rebound, then the dampening effect could actually get out of sinc with the spring rate. in other words, on a washboard road, the shock does not have time on the rebound from the squish and therefore you have bad riding characteristics and a lot of hopping. That's just one example. There are hundreds of them, but just want you to be aware of the issues. You can put a high priced shock on, but still not be happy with it, and you won't know why. If you really want the "look" of Rancho's then you might want to look at spending even more money for the adjustable shocks. They will at least give you some experimentation capabilities and maybe get you close to the ride you are looking for.
I don't claim to be an expert by any means. Just wanted to share what "I think" I know. You'll get plenty of input from the folks here, so it's up to you to disect and use what you need.
To answer the question you might have in your mind right now...I had my springs made by Paul, at Willys America. We talked about this very subject at the time and got shocks to match (monnroe). I think my wagon rides quite nice. The only hinderance is the bias ply tires. They aren't too forgiving, til' they're warmed up.
Steve
