hood lift/strut suggestions?
 

I'm disabled & would like to make lifting the hood a bit easier.. can anybody recommend a specific hood lift/strut setup? (preferably bolt-on, stock hood) Thanks in advance! :)

Got mine off of ebay.
Works fine.

Got a link or is it just a random kit? Having not really dealt with struts much I wasn't sure if you needed to take into account hood weights/anything technical. I suppose I'll snag this one if not..

Rotary extreme Hood damper: CLICK HERE

-AzEKnightz

Great, thanks.

It was just a random kit. Paid $50 for them.

Yeah these will fit better.
The hood mount that comes with the ebay kit mounts at an angle and doesn't look as good.

I guess that's where the extra $100 goes, heh. Oh well.. gotta be able to get under the hood easily! (and of course want something that looks nice as well)

my recent fd purchase actually came with these. Def well worth it imo:icon_tup:

The Rotary Extreme hood struts don't corrode like the cheaper ones.

Jack

I believe EVO-R has them. I was just looking the other day

Great, thanks again guys! Ooh, and I think I'm gonna grab this set, maybe in CF since they're still cheaper than the Rotary Extreme's. (and I expect to also be of excellent quality) :icon_tup:

http://www.evo-r.net/product/damper/FD3S/index.htm

I'm runnning NRG struts. Ordered half-pressure due to my CF hood.

I'm sure this is covered elsewhere.. but weight of your/typical CF hood vs. stock?

Not sure on the hood weight. Has more to do with warnings that come on the standard shocks that say they are NOT to be used with CF or fiberglass hoods. Plus, the standard full pressure gas shocks have been known to "bow" hoods when attempting to close due to the stiffness of the shocks. Just an FYI!!

Gotcha & thanks for the info. The possibility of a CF hood is a ways off & I've gotta be able check the fluids NOW, so I suppose if I ever swap, I'll just have to swap struts too.

I'm in a wheelchair & may need to fashion some sort of grab-strap in order to reach the hood after it's fully open. Does anybody think attaching such to the factory hood catch is a bad idea for any reason & should I aim for a specifically heat resistant material? (since it gets like a bajillion degrees under there :tonque:)

I beleive the factory hood is about 25 lbs, I had one shipped once. My CF hood probably takes that to at least 15 lbs.

I'm not sure about attaching a strap to the hood catch. It may have the possibility to get caught up in the latch mechanism. Every time you open it you can hang something with a hook from it like a bungie cord.

Good call.. and find a way to store it under the hood like the prop. I suppose it could even be a short rod with a hook on the end/part of an original prop etc. :icon_tup:

I concur. The cheap Ebay ones rust, and fail. Just spend the money on a good set.

Why do you need to change the strut pressure for the hood? Isn't the strut extension limited internally? I wouldn't assume that the strut extension is determined by the pressure. I would appreciate anyone's insight who actually knows, for a fact. Thanks! :-D

Anybody happen to be running the EVO-R ones and/or have knowledge of their product quality in general? If they're any good, the non-CF version seems like a nice price & aren't "Ebay". (and of course the CF look pimp @ a tad cheaper than the other two quality sets mentioned here) It's nice that their product page has a link to them actually in action a well, tho I realize you can youtube other brands.

I guess nobody has their hood struts? I've ran into some rather negative opinions regarding some of their other parts, on this forum. Would hate to drop $90 on their basic set if they're no better than what ya get on Ebay for $50. (and that I've been warned to stay away from)

To the best of my knowledge they source the majority of their parts from the same factories in China as the Ebay vendors and slap their brand on it. Something to consider.

That's sorta what I was afraid of & why I bumped/re-asked. Right now there're more important things to address, but I've gotta be able to pop the hood. Maybe I'll try Evo-R's & just upgrade later if they don't hold up..

Hope I don't sound too "preachy" but buying crap chinese stuff always costs you more in the long run.

Oddly, you replied literally THE SECOND after I hit the pay button in PayPal, for the $90 EVO-R set. :p: Like I said, I've got more pressing areas to drop money on for now. If these don't stand the test of time I'll just kick myself in the ass & blow some more $$$ later, but at least I'll be able to check my fluids for the time being! (and put bigger money elsewhere, lol) Somebody offered a set of "NRS" struts via PM for $49 the other day. Not sure if he meant NRG or what, but he didn't respond in time! Actually, I may later swap to a CF hood & would need a different strength anywho.

The strut kit got here yesterday & I went to do the install tonight. Got one mounted np, but one of the ball ends seems to be machined a little too small for the stud to fully seat in it, making it impossible to stick the little securing pin in-place/mount the other strut. :( Jay @ EVO-R has a messenger name listed for support purposes, so I got ahold of him on there & he's supposed to be sending a replacement ball-end out Monday. If I get a working piece in a timely manner, I'll be happy.

Post up some pics after you get everything finished :) Do you think you'll have to set up a grab strap to close the hood?
Good to know that you've got good customer support from EVO-R so far :icon_tup:

Will do and yep, pretty sure I'll be needing some sort of grab-strap/rod as the hood towers over me when fully open. :p: With one strut it's definitely easier to lift, though still doesn't solve the main issue I run into, so I'll be eagerly awaiting the replacement ball-end. Knock on wood.. with all the horror stories I've read of EVO-R, I'm fairly impressed so far. (I used messenger to speak with him prior to shipment as well) Given, this is a pretty simple item & I've not got the fixed piece yet, but yeah.

Advanced auto sells the struts for $20 each, all different sizes just not sure the length needed for the 7.

Well, that's why people, (myself included), buy the FD specific kits.. just bolt them on. If I were lucky, I suppose I could go pick up a generic strut & its' ball-ends would interchange with what I've got, but that's not how my life rolls :p: & it's almost a given the ends wouldn't match anyways. As for the EVO-R setup itself, I'm hoping the hardware is as good as the also mentioned NRG's, in that it won't rust like the less pricey sets. (which I'd also expect of Autozone materials) I appreciate the suggestion though.

Paint the ends so they don't rust lol. I don't have hood strut yet but i have everything to fabricate what's needed to use the cheap ones.

I don't have the means to fabricate what's needed, (and have it look good). I also didn't know what pressure was proper, nor do I know if cheap struts are dual stage?
EDIT - checkout the below comment:

As far as people mentioning the lesser kits hardware rusting, I assumed they meant @ friction points where paint's not going to be applicable. Not calling you one, but a retard could guess it'd be wise to seal stationary parts that aren't already rustproof. :p: These are the reasons I decided I'd rather just buy something already designed, tested and with as simple & clean installation as possible, for our application. FYI, the EVO-R struts are 17.5" from ball-end center to center though.

Well after a solid, 7-day week, EVO's yet to get my replacement rod-end here & never responded to my email requesting a speedy delivery, heh. :rolleyes:

I forgot to add before.. for generic/non-FD installation, the instructions for this kit specified to mount the strut (canister side) to the hood bolt, using the factory prop to open the hood completely, and to measure back I believe 1.5" from its' end. (as far as choosing a point to mount the ball in the fender)

Week 2 & no part/no contact. (and he knows I need the struts due to being disabled) asshat seems to have quit logging on messenger as well, though the last thing said 2 weeks ago was he had the part in-hand, heh. Does Jay of EVO-R have an account here to anybodies knowledge? I guess that's who I was corresponding with..