[dsraven]

once you get to taking it apart you'll see how it all fits together. like mr48 says, grease it often, as well as the rest of the chassis and suspension.
for replacement shocks, first ensure the shock mounting brackets are up to the task. the rear upper mounts have a habit of becoming loose at the rivets and the front frame brackets have a habit of getting some pretty bad rust behind them so the metal of the bracket can get pretty thin. otherwise, depending on the ride quality you like, choose a decent quality shock with an actual brand lbel attached. try rockauto for a pretty good price and options. they may also have the required spring pins and bushings set.