I wouldn't waste the money on rodding out the radiator. Most shops won't do them anyway because they have the plastic tanks on the side and won't even mess with them. It's easier to just find one that isn't leaking. They're all over since anything from a ranger, bii or an explorer will fit.
Even with shocks your going to get wheel hop. Hopping is caused by spring wrap, which is only dampened by the shocks, it still occurs. The only way to really get rid of it is to put on trac bars to keep the axle from twisting, thus putting the springs into an "s" shape. You could always just pick up som cheepo shocks for the one trip and testing purposes.