Wondering if anyone has tried the trunk struts / lift supports that are available. I’m well aware that they won’t match the originals or support the defroster wiring, but am curious if they’ll actually fit.

Atkins, eBay and Rockauto all seem to have availability.

 

I bought the Stabilus one for my 85. It's a little too strong, almost takes my head off when i open up the trunk. The hardware was also not perfect. Definitely not OEM, but it works.

 

StrongArm was plug-and-play in my 80 SA. Impressed there seems to be a version available for hatches "with spoiler"!
Stu A
80 GS, AZ

 

Option 1, (https://www.mazdatrix.com/product/sh...ch-79-85-each/)

Option 2. ( )

 

I replaced the struts in my '83 GSL this past fall.
I ordered and used these: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HOLSLZO
from amazon -- they appear to be the TUFFs you pictured above.
I was able to transfer the original wiring for the defrost and rear wiper from the original.
I did have to cut the end off the original to get the connector off it, and made a small, approx 1/2", spacer out of aluminum to position it correctly on the new strut.
Also bought some heat-shrink tubing to control the wires (as in the original construction).
I used this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TBHDNHY
but would recommend getting some that is Black instead of Clear.

 

Thanks for the info everyone, very helpful. I thought that transferring the wiring over was a bit ambitious, but that sounds totally doable.

 

I purchased the Strong Arm brand strut to replace a weak passenger side strut. The strut is the correct length and works well. The only issue is when swapping over the rear defroster and wiper hardware on to the strut. Installing it was super simple but the issue is the mount point for the hardware piece that mounts closes to the front of the car on the strut. The mount point for this piece of hardware is located in a different spot than the mount point on the stock strut. The location difference is about one inch. This means that when you close the hatch the two pieces on the strut would not mate up and make a electrical connection. There was a gap of about one inch. To fix it I had to move the above mentioned piece about an inch closer to the second piece that is mounted near the strut attachment point on the glass and secure the first piece in place with a small hose clamp. Now everything mates up when the glass hatch is closed and the defroster and wiper motor work fine.

 

I used a $24.00 pair from ebay and worked like a charm...

 

I ended up using the FCS ones from RockAuto. Easy to install and works great. I didn’t bother moving over the defroster wiring, but saved the parts and can do that later on.