Hood Gas Struts

[Broadwaydan]

Hey, guys,

A quick and simple question. I am working on getting the hood gapped and fastened in place and thought I would want to connect the hood struts for fit and to "help" with holding the hood open for minor position adjustments. How easy is it to remove the struts from the bracket pins when I need to take them back off? Looks like they will snap into place pretty easily but I don't want to bend/break anything while removing.

Thanks.

[edwardb]

They come back off pretty easily. There's a little metal clip that snaps behind the ball when you press it in. Helps to use a small screwdriver or whatever to slide the clip back just enough to remove. I would recommend not taking them on/off repeatedly, but generally not a problem.

One thing you may want to look at though. Lots of discussion (mainly on the other forum) about the gas struts pushing up on the hood and causing it to bow over time. Many agree (I do too) that the problem is the pre-drilled holes for the bracket around the middle of the hood is too close, causing the gas strut to possibly bottom before the hood is completely closed and pushing the hood up the in center. Many recommend to move the bracket out one hole position, e.g. making the distance to the hinge location slightly longer. You have to make a new hole for the outer hole, and fill the inner one that is now exposed. Easy to do if you're not painted yet. Causes the hood to open just a few degrees less, but not a big deal. Look at the last post in this thread:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?1955-Hood-Hinge-Instructions