the stock shocks work just fine the way they are. if you break a shock body, you probably killed something else in the process.
i will say that you need to take special care when assembling the shocks as to not cross the threads. they are very fine and can EASILY be killed if your in a rush.
otherwise, i havent had any problems with shocks leaking or breaking.
i tend to rebuild my shocks every couple race days for good measure. no matter what car it is.