My father is changing the front shocks on his 1983 Cougar does he need alignment afterwards?

Depends on the vehicle. If they are struts, probably. I will tell you the most quick way to get a reliable answer. Yellow pages -- Auto Dealerships -- call one and ask for the service department -- put your question to one of the service guys. They will give you the RIGHT answer.

For example: The other day I needed to know what size socket to use to remove the axle nut on the front wheel of my vehicle. I called the service dept at the dealership and one of the service guys told me: 1 1/4". Now I don't have to buy a set of big sockets (expensive) just one.

Make sure you find out -- or your tires will wear out from misalignment! Good Luck!

Why stop there... replace anything that needs it... shocks, springs, suspension parts, brakes, tires, before an alignment. Change em' and see how she drives... clean the tread real good and take it for a drive... if its bad, the dirt on the tires will tell you. But generally, you know if a car needs aligned or not when u drive it.