coilover on stock front a-body?

That would definitely be a short stroke shock, but that is not the only factor to consider. More important, from my research, is the motion ratio. How much is the wheel/tire moving in relation to the shock. In my lengthy conversions with the engineer at Ride Tech, he recommends 5" total wheel travel split between compression and extension. One simple calculation for motion ratio is:

distance from LCA mounting bolt to middle of tire / distance from LCA mounting bolt to shock mount = motion ratio

Take the motion ratio and multiply that but the shocks compression for total compression travel, then multiply the motion ratio by the shocks extension for total extension travel. Add the two and you have total suspension travel. So I recommend determining your current motion ratio, then set out to find a shock that will fit within your needs to get you adequate suspension travel, again from my discussions with Ride Tech that is 5".

I'm no help with springs because I'm running air. Ride Tech does have a calculator on their website to help determine spring rate since they now sell coil-overs as well.