Thanks, Pat. I'd much rather see the Monroe'* on that car than the Gabriels. I just hit a dead end on Monroe'* site for some reason.

I don't particularly care for the Gabriels, either and prefer the Monroes. If your dad works on cars at all, he shouldn't have any problem replacing the rear shocks. They're the easiest that I have ever done.

And if you mark things carefully, you MAY not need an alignment.

With the design of 2000+ rear suspension, replacing the shocks will not require having an alignment done afterwards. However, if one hasn't been done lately, it would be a good time to do it.

Edit - For safety'* sake, have him support the control arm before removing the shock.

I just replaced my rear shocks with the Monroes about two weeks ago. Since they are shocks, there is nothing that will change the alignment by changing them. I am quite happy with the results. It took about an hour per side and was very straightforward.