Very old thread, so I assume Andy came up with a workable shock absorber scheme.
Reading his original question, I couldn't help but have a mental picture of Houdailles (turn the clock back sixty years or so here!) mounted out of the breeze, but with arms shortened in proportion to their relocation toward the car's center- thus retaining damping forces (at the wheels) in the desired ballpark range. Forgive me for thinking-out-loud about old-school-appearing solutions...