Jeff -
    l'm an electrical engineer (I believe you are also), with some
understanding of spring constants, dampening, oscillations, etc., but no
real knowledge of shocks. Thanks for taking the time to write of all the
design considerations that go into a device that most of us take for
granted and fail to appreciate. Prior to your post, I had felt that a
"canned", nifty-looking domestically-produced shock by Monroe would be
superior, but no longer think that now. As with most new applications, it
will likely take some time, experimentation and a few iterations before a
really good design is achieved.

                Bill Rumburg
                N403WR  (Sonic bOOm)