E body shock recomendation

I have a 70 barracuda that I put a Gen 2 Hemi in. I rebuilt the front suspension and added 1.05 torsion bars and KYB shocks on the front which are probably a bit better than standard gas shocks. I have 17" wheels v rated tires, 13" front discs. The rear has a new set of Mopar ss springs on a Dana 60. I have always been more of a drag racer and I am not going to go autocrossing. The car does not have sway bars on it, and I probably won't put any on at this time, I am not ruling them out though. It has welded in subframe connectors and a reinforced k-frame and the lower control arms have the welded on aftermarket braces. The question that I have is rear shocks. I really don't want to spend $400 on a pair of shocks for what is going to be mostly a cruiser, but I want to step up from the KYB's if possible. The front rebuild, bigger bars and kyb made a huge difference over stock, and I would like to upgrade the rear for a more balanced package, any advice?

Gabriel or Bilstein. I understand Bilstein is very highly regarded but don't brake the bank. I've got KYB front and back and while front aren't bad, the back may as well be a fence post the way it rides. I'm holding out for QA1 or Viking dual adjustables.

Thanks for the reply. I went on Bilsteins site and they have no listings for E body cars???? I went to several of their vendors, same thing. Koni offers their Classic shock, would this be a good choice? Also, I think I will put a sway bar on the front, Lots of brands out there and it seems like 1" and 1-1/8 are the most prevalent. Is the 1-1/8 a good choice and is there that much difference between brands ? Thanks, Lee.

Check out Firm Feel for suspension needs or Hotchkis.

The Koni shocks are fantastic but they require some extra work to fit out back. They bolt right in on the front. The Bilstein shocks bolt right in but I prefer the Koni shocks since they are adjustable. I don't know why the Koni engineers screwed up the mounting bolt size on the rear shocks but they did. I build lower shock mounts that work with the Koni shocks so that is an option if you want to use the Koni shocks.

There is a thread on here about Koni shocks: https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2511606/1.html

I went from Monroe SensaTrac shocks to RCD Bilsteins to single adjustable QA1 shocks on the rear of my '73 A-body.
The Bilsteins were a noticable upgrade and improvement in suspension control, and pretty much spot-on for a classic performance car.
The adjustable QA1 shocks were another step up in control and handling. Being able to adjust the rebound of the shock has been very welcome on my setup.

I went from KYB's on the front to single adjustable Hotchkis shocks. Same deal. Very noticable upgrade.

With a Hellwig swaybar on the front and after the shock-upgrades, the car was a great deal more stable and felt 'glued' to the road, without the typical 'vintage' soft handling of older cars.

Calvert Racing offers a 9-way adjustable for $238 a pair for your car. I believe they may be made by Rancho for Calvert. I ran the Rancho on my Challenger with SS springs and like using the softer setting for normal cruising and the ability to firm them up at the strip. Previously, I had the KYB.

http://www.calvertracing.com/store/cr-series-9-way-adj-rear-shock-cr22142-sold-as-a-pair-p-77.html

I suppose a person could try a Calvert 9 way but I doubt it would be a good choice for a handling shock. It is true that it is adjustable but I think the shock curves are totally different between a drag race shock and a road race shock. For performance driving I'd consider the Bilstein shock or I'd go with the Koni. If I was willing to toss money around I might try the Hotchkis shocks but they are pricey. I don't think I'm a good enough driver to feel the difference but there might be some folks on the board who can. Without a shock dyno and a four post machine we're probably all just blowing smoke anyway....

Well, I ordered a Hellwig 1-1/4 tubular front anti-sway bar as the 'Cuda had none. I think the Bilsteins will probably meet my needs. I am just trying to get some decent handling characteristics for a safer cruiser. I appreciate all of the advice given here, it really helped! Lee.

The Bilsteins should work just fine for that application. You'll notice the difference on the first drive.