Thank You All,
👏  L/W,  it's walnut ply with hardwood only on the faces.

Barb,  I like the springs because you can add or subtract the number of them to dial in the tension, and I don't worry about having to go back to replace a shock.  
That said,  I have never used the shocks so I couldn't make a fair comparison between the two.

Figuring out how to do something you have never done is what makes a good challenge.