Hood struts

[randimal]

As I'm taking stuff off my XJ and adding to the MJ, I thought it might be nice to install the rear hatch struts under the MJ hood, so it would hold itself up. Concept seems pretty simple, but looking at the struts on the XJ, I'm not at all sure how they attach on either end. They have little steel cones sticking out of the sheet metal with ball joints on the top. I don't see any way to take them off.

 

Anyone know how to remove these? Might be better to use an aftermarket strut from another type of vehicle. Any ideas?

[Eagle]

Somewhere, most likely in the NAXJA archives but possibly some other Jeep site, there is a writeup on doing exactly this mod. They didn't use XJ hatch struts, IIRC, although I see no reason they wouldn't work.

 

I think the article explained what they used for mounts, and where to locate them for the correct leverage. Unfortunately, I don't have it bookmarked ...

[comancheman]

depends on what year xj but i kno that on the older ones there are tiny little wire clips that have to be pulled out then the strut will just come right off the ball

[Rokhound]

here is a thought does the ZJ use struts for there hood or some other junk yard car :nuts: :dunno:

[jared]

i think pete has some type of shock that holds up his hood.

[jage]

Those XJ rear hatches have some serious weight to them too- way more than a hood IIRC, so it could be really hard to get them tuned, much less mount them without the stupid ball clip thing.

 

I'd love to see a write up on something simple that works with the hood and is easy to mount and cheaply available... somebody in the ricer or muscle car world has to have done this if not in the Jeep world...

[Twisty]

I'm pretty sure that go-jeep did this mod.

 

http://gojeep.willyshotrod.com/

[STROKERMJ]

IIRC some year XJ hatch struts, the little ball "thingy" unscrews from the strut.

 

STROKER MJ

[fendermb4]

here is a thought does the ZJ use struts for there hood or some other junk yard car :nuts: :dunno:

 

I had a Ford Taurus that had struts for the hood, you should be able to get them off of 86-95 Ford Tauruses. That hood was probably a smidge heavier than an MJ hood, but it should still work pretty good.

 

You can get them brand new for like $30 a pair on ebay. Should be pretty cheap and plentiful in the boneyards.

[Pete M]

struts are cheap enough and buying new means you can just return them if they are too weak or too strong. Also, doing a single strut is WAAAAAY easier than trying to do two. With 2 you have to balance the weight between the 2, build mounts for 2, etc.

 

The strut on my 88. Notice the multiple screw holes as I tried different mounting points to get the lifting characteristics just right. Also, I bought a variety of struts and tried different ones until I found one that could hold up the hood but didn't try to deform the sheetmetal when I closed the hood.

[Oizarod115]

could you not pull those spring type lifters off ollld jeeps? i know other vehichels had them as well, but the hood on my bros 84 grand waggy was HEAVY metal and had two springs that lifted/held it up

[jage]

Super good- so do you recall which strut you used and could we get rough measurements? It would be cool if each person to do this would refine the process until we had a "Buy X,Y and Z, drill at A and B, bolt on"

[Pete M]

Next chance I get I'll snag the part number off it. I've got no way of finding out what vehicle it was originally intended for (tried doing that when I bought them).

 

 

could you not pull those spring type lifters off ollld jeeps? i know other vehichels had them as well, but the hood on my bros 84 grand waggy was HEAVY metal and had two springs that lifted/held it up

 

You'd have to find a way to fit them in the engine bay. Space is at a premium.

[jared]

2007 saturn vue uses a hood strut, and its a nice single one. i will get price and information on it soon.

 

and its only a 2007 model that has them.