by barebonesracecars » Sat Jun 23, 2012 8:02 pm
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!
Reid
*1979 Buick Skyhawk SCCA/street/show*
(with Buick 350 power on deck)