$10 engine lid opening fix, Involving a medium duty cabinet gas shock Options

[john77]

I have a homemade GT-style lid and the factory torsion bars were twisting the hell out of it so I needed an alternative to keep it open. I asked about alt options on here a couple of weeks back and one of replies (I forget who, sorry) involved a gas shock mounted below the relay board and that got my tiny brain whirring. So...

Here's my $10 alt to the factory torsion bars. Requires no modification of the engine bay/firewall as it mounts on the engine lid hinge and engine lid - you will need to drill a couple of holes in the bottom of the engine lid but that's it.

I searched for medium duty kitchen cabinet gas shocks on Amazon and ended up buying a pair of Apexstone 100N/22.5lb gas struts. They come in black or silver - I got the black and used a scotchbrite to take the shitty logo off.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i2.photobucket.com-17027-1498001669.1.png)


These are the two mounts that come with the shock:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i2.photobucket.com-17027-1498001669.2.png)

Clip these two mounts onto the shock. Hook the long mount over the hook on the engine hinge where the factory torsion bar used to be...

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i2.photobucket.com-17027-1498001670.3.jpg)

... open the lid fully, swing the shock up so the top mount (round one) is positioned flat on the engine lid crossmember. Mark the placement temporarily with some tape and then remove the whole engine lid.

With the engine lid removed move the round mount about 5-10mm lower than the tape mark (this will ensure the gas shock is still slightly depressed when the lid is fully open and so will hold it in place. I learned this the hard way by drilling holes first and then had to remove and re drill... you're welcome (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) )

Drill holes. Bolt (or rivet) round mount to engine lid. Paint black if you want it to be slightly more stealth (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i2.photobucket.com-17027-1498001670.4.jpg)

Reinstall engine lid. Clip free end of shock onto round mount - in order to do this you may have to compress it a bit with you hand, it's stiff but can be done. Anddddd, that's it. The tension of the shock insures the bottom mount stays hooked over the hook.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i2.photobucket.com-17027-1498001670.5.jpg)

Here's a video of it in action:

Gas shock fix

[tygaboy]

Nifty! Love it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)
(and WAY less spendy than the solution I bought from PMS. Ah well...)

[Rand]

Kudos for your ingenuity. You don't have to pay full price for an aftermarket solution if you are crafty. When it comes to gas shock lids (whether it be engine, rear trunk front trunk, or whatever) all you need is a resource like a pick & pull for shocks. The rest is the fun fabrication part.

[Montreal914]

Out of the way, compact, and cheap too!
Very nice.

[mepstein]

I like it. Thanks for posting.

[PlaysWithCars]

Wow! That is crazy slick. Nice job.

[john77]

Thanks guys.

One thing I forgot to mention, slide a piece of wood between the backside of the crossmember and the grill when drilling the holes so the drill bit has a buffer once you go through the crossmember and doesn't just shoot through the grill material. I know this because even though I knew it would happen I didn't bother doing it the first time and, of course, did exactly that...

[Biggles]

Like the mod.

As an aside, I am looking to fit the front and rear grp lightweight lids. Does anyone know the correct lbs force of strutts to use? guess its a bit trial and error...

Something not too weak, or more importantly will not over power the deck lid.

Thanks

[euro911]

I took my torsion bars out and hadn't planned to ever reinstall them. I carry a piece of pipe to keep my lid open, but I like your fix much better (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Thanks for sharing, John (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif)

[Mark Henry]

Perfect timing, thanks.

But this is a perfect example of one what Canadians are faced with about with amazon.
On amazon.com $12 pr, but on amazon.ca $32pr, even with exchange that still a 100% mark-up to cross the border.

I cancelled prime and almost never use amazon anymore. I'll find the shocks elsewhere, I'll even wait till they come from Hong Kong or China.

[scallyk9]

This is wonderful. I just purchased a '74 3.2L conversion with this lid and a stick to hold it up and no springs. I'll try to duplicate your clever solution.

[AZBanks]

Perfect timing, thanks.

But this is a perfect example of one what Canadians are faced with about with amazon.
On amazon.com $12 pr, but on amazon.ca $32pr, even with exchange that still a 100% mark-up to cross the border.

I cancelled prime and almost never use amazon anymore. I'll find the shocks elsewhere, I'll even wait till they come from Hong Kong or China.

I found a 10 pack on ebay for less than $32 including shipping.


Anyone interested in a group buy? $3.20 plus shipping. I'll buy the 10 pack and ship to everyone else.

[913B]

Does it include all the attachment mounts. I would be in for 1

[porschetub]

Nice,looks like the factory did it,are these less stiff than the normal hood/tailgate type ?.
Thought about doing this but the heavy duty gas ones would bend the lid on closing ,maybe not such an issue with a stock lid but the 6/GT get a bit bendy.

[AZBanks]

Does it include all the attachment mounts. I would be in for 1

The pictures on ebay show the mounting brackets and the ad says that it includes screws.

[euro911]

Does it include all the attachment mounts. I would be in for 1

Yeah ... me too (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[john77]

Nice,looks like the factory did it,are these less stiff than the normal hood/tailgate type ?.
Thought about doing this but the heavy duty gas ones would bend the lid on closing ,maybe not such an issue with a stock lid but the 6/GT get a bit bendy.

Yeah, way less stiff, they're for kitchen cabinets. My lid is even more of a shell than a regular GT lid and the grille is just expanded aluminum, and it doesn't twist it at all. Once closed the force of the shock is actually pushing toward the trunk, not up.

[Coloradocurt]

Perfect timing, thanks.

But this is a perfect example of one what Canadians are faced with about with amazon.
On amazon.com $12 pr, but on amazon.ca $32pr, even with exchange that still a 100% mark-up to cross the border.

I cancelled prime and almost never use amazon anymore. I'll find the shocks elsewhere, I'll even wait till they come from Hong Kong or China.

I found a 10 pack on ebay for less than $32 including shipping.


Anyone interested in a group buy? $3.20 plus shipping. I'll buy the 10 pack and ship to everyone else.

PM sent.

[AZBanks]

Between posts here and a PM, 4 are spoken for so far. I'm keeping 2 so that leaves 4 more up for grabs.

They should be at my house by or before the 29th. I hope that is the case as I will be on the road a lot starting on July 1st. If the order does not show up at my house by early on the 30th, I will not be able to ship them out to you guys until July 14th.
If that doesn't work for anyone, let me know and I'll take you off the list.

Mark, are you interested? With the Canadian surcharge the total won't be a penny more than $31.97. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[mepstein]

I'll take a pair. Sent you a pm. Thanks, mark