hi guys, i'm thinking about changing the shocks on my 1.6 murena.would anyone know if the original factory fitted shock absorbers that were fitted front and rear were the same as the simca 1100 and the horizon, alpine solara etc

thanks in advance
steve
I doubt the fronts would be the same Steve. Physically they possibly are, but the front of the Murena is so light whilst the Simca/Talbot models being front engine, front wheel drive, are much heavier, so the damping has to be different. To back this up, the part numbers are specifically Matra. When the parts are the same as a previous car in the Simca/Talbot range, it uses the older number.
The rears are unique to the car as Herman states.
You don't want the front shock absorbers any firmer than the originals because it makes the cars handling worse! The front becomes 'jittery'. I had one Murena with Konis all round and the setting had been adjusted firmer and the car was definitely worse on the road. I replaced them with standard ones and the good handling immediately returned.
At the rear which is much heavier, maybe slightly firmer dampers would be OK and certainly mine was fine once the front ones had been put back to standard.
Concerning the suspension, it is more important to check the condition of the rear coil spring seats which are known to corrode and fail. The shock absorbers themselves don't cause much trouble unless they leak.
Roy