What all do you guys use to hold up your hatches because of worn out decklid shocks?


Discuss.


(Me on AIM)

JamesEspo: WTF rear hatch struts are freaking
JamesEspo: $38 a piece
JamesEspo: i think my crutch i stole works just fine for holding it up for free
Spike1n1: cool
JamesEspo: does yours work
JamesEspo: Mr FancyPants 2001 WS6 SOM M6 . COM

 

junk yard is the easiest way. mine still have the originals although i'm almost finished with my actuator design so i can do it all by remote.

 

Hey thats cool, snap some pics

 

Right now I'm using the handle from my floor jack, but in the past have used everything from a fire hydrent snow sign to a large stick

 

Good old Vise Grips

 

I don't remember them costing that much.

When I bought my Formula a few years back, the guy I bought it from had left a carboard roll in the back. When I first opened the hatch, I wondered what the hell it was for... then the hatch came down and hit me on the head.

That wasn't going to work for me, so off to Pep Boys for a couple of struts.

 

Kandied.....I've considered setting up a linear actuator to replace the hatch struts (for full power up/power down in conjunction with the stock pull-down motor) but haven't actually gotten around to doing more than thinking about it. Care to share any design info?

 

my car came with a hood/hatch stick

ive lost the stick now

found one good strut in a junker that the hatch wouldnt open, i broke the other trying to get it out. sun was beating down thru the glass wasnt a fun place to be. once it gave loose it popped at me one though.

 

nothing to trick about it...

i will be using a standard actuator that is commonly used for lowrider applications. they come in all sorts of lenghts and i've just duplicated the stock dimensions. using a switched relay to activate up/down and it works pretty standard.

one stock strut is still in place to help bare the load but the piece itself seems to have no problem holding the glass.

around $175 in parts if you include the little extras to tap into my remote.

 

Sounds about like I was thinking. I plan to use one of the aux outputs of my alarm to initiate a timed circuit that will keep the actuator on long enough to fully extend/retract. That way you just double-press the "unlock" button and watch it run.

 

to complicated.....do it the easy way and run a setup similar to the electric trunk release now. a little less wiring and then you can have full control as well as automatic.

 

Perhaps....it's gonna be a while anyway as my money is currently gonig to suspension parts and I want to get that and the brakes done before anything else.

 

Yep, I do the same,

 

I use the snow brush, that way I don't have any extra looking clutter in the back.