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2018 Update: For a video of the gas struts Please go to the third page and read the 2018 update.

Update: After a lot of trial and error I have come up with a pretty sweet design. Just go to the second page and read the update.

Consider if you will...

72 Vega hood latch support as everyone knows is on the passenger side. Which is a pain walking around to the passenger side every time you want to close the hood. I want to go to a gas strut support so I can simply open and close the hood from the drivers side. My question is....has anyone done this modification? My theory being since the hood stands almost vertical all the weight will be off the hood and a good candidate for a gas strut lift support. Probably just one in the stock lift support location.

I'm not too crazy about being the guinea Pig on this one but I will if need be =) Even if you haven't done this mod I am open to any suggestions, problem areas or heck even educated guesses.

im pretty sure i saw one of these hood supports on a vega which came off a pontiac fierro. let us know if you research this . art

I am pretty sure Al did that to his orange Vega years ago. Pretty slick!

try a strut from a lumina(in every junk yard so cheap for trial and error) bigger hood but aluminum i think might be about the same weight.or maybe the hatch of a GEO metro, I have 2 of those in the other room, if it works for you I'll give it a go TImmy

No problem being the Guinea Pig =)

Let me state up front I know almost nothing on the subject of gas charged struts as used in a lift support system . A starting point I guess is does anyone know if gas struts come in different pressure charges? I am kind of leery of using used struts as I know the charge goes away with time and use. The point, I think what is needed is a good base reference and hopefully universal ones available at the local parts store. Of course once a size is worked out.

Look at the Ballcamp catalog from Napa for lift supports. They have a universal section that will list the ends, and and the balls too for that matter. Plus it will list the length and pressure. Start with about 50lbs and work from there. Or if using 2,I would start with 30lbs.

Rob

When I get there I plan on using a scale to measure the load at my expected pivot pionts (fish or kitchen as required) as mentioned above NAPA has them listed in store as do others, I haven't looked online yet. My numbers probably wouldn't help as my hood opens the other way and I am going to build mine out of Fiberglass. Good Luck Harry

This is what I have found online.

http://www.austinhardware.com/index.cfm ... displayCat

I plan on using a scale to measure the load at my expected pivot pionts

Not really sure how you scale it. I'm sure there is an formula by simply weighing the hood. Please enlighten if you have a method other than a good guess which is what I have so far =) Also not exactly sure of stroke other than I guess it depends on where you mount it. I assume since both ends swivel then its just a matter of making sure the gas strut does not close before the hood. Like I said, a guess.

I will be putting the 72 hood on the Astre this weekend and will have more info then with a little experimentation at the very least. I'll get some pics also.

Phil,

I don't know if it will be much help, but C4 Corvettes use a pair of gas struts to lift the rear class window. I'm not sure how much it weighs, but being glass it may be similar to the Vega hood, and the length should be favorable. Plus new struts for this application are quite powerful (as I found out!).

Chuck

We are in the process of making our hood open upon release with the use of gas struts. These where a big help in making sense of things.

http://www.enertrols.com/pdfs/Enertrols_GasSprings.pdf
Jump to page 4 & 10 for a quick reference on manufactures suggestions on force requirements
IF YOU ARE USING PAGE 5 TO CALCULATE THE REQUIRED FORCE TO LIFT YOUR HOOD BE SURE TO STICK TO THE DIAGRAM WHEN PLUGGING THE VARIABLES INTO THE EQUATION
*NOTE* - (n = the number of struts applying force)

http://www.bansbach.de/com/gasfedern/online-calculator-3.html
download and install the JAVA JRE and then click ' start online-calculation'
USE THE WIZARD THAT POPS UP WITH THE APPLICATION. IT WALKS YOU THROUGH STEP BY STEP AND DEVELOPS AN ANIMATION OF YOUR HOOD AND GAS SPRINGS IN ACTION.

Here is a useful unit conversion website..
http://www.digitaldutch.com/unitconverter/force.htm
USE THE FORCE UNIT CONVERTER TO CONVERT 'NEWTONS [N]' TO 'POUNDS FORCE' [LBS].

~~Ill post more pics as we make progress~~

Can you make me a set of those cool hood hinges?!?

I put 2 gas struts on my '79 Skyhawk. Always hated @#$%^&! prop rods.

The struts I used came from scrap yard Ford EXP, believe it or not. Just bought them for scrap weight, thinking I'd try them, and now they have been on there for for about 8 years.

They are a standard ball / socket, so I can replace them at any time with a NAPA strut.

As far as determining weights, this may help also; My truck toolbox is an aluminum dual lid (I believe it's a Delta, but I bought it used with no markings). The lids are very light. My local NAPA listed several struts from about 30# up to 100#....what to get? I started with a 35#, which would hold the lid up but not raise it. Bought a 50#, and it works fine.

So, it's all in the leverage. Raising even a lightweight hood with a strut that is laying horizontal to it is going to take quite a bit of force. I have no real idea what a Vega hood weighs, but if it uses just one strut, I'm going to guess you would want a strut close to 100#.

Only problem is these things aren't cheap if you guess wrong!

Fisrt,
Let me thank everyone for the input, very informative. Not that the prop rod bugs me a great deal but more just updating although my 2004 Blazer still uses a prop rod. I did some crude measuring with a telescoping shaft and rod and came up with some preliminary mounting places and length of about 20 inches. This is standing the Astre hood almost vertical. I need to weigh the hood and of course the difficulty is seeing if I can use one gas strut or two. Logic has a way of failing me at times but it seems if standing the hood almost vertical will not require 100 #LB because I have already anticipated lifting the hood to the vertical position while somewhere in the arc the strut(s) will takes over.

I would imagine not much difference in weight between the steel hood and a Fiberglas hood so I will be following your build. I mean having a hood that would open with just a push of a button would be too cool =)

Gas struts!! They don't quite lift the hood from the closed position, but they take over after opening just a few inches.

Very cool!
Looks to be about where I mocked my patern up. A few questions?

(1)What is the open length of the strut?
(2)What is the pounds/force of the struts?
(3)Is that one of the available gas strut brackets used on the fender well? I know the ones on the hood are custom and they look great!

Good Job!