randimal Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 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 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comancheman Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rokhound Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 here is a thought does the ZJ use struts for there hood or some other junk yard car :nuts: :dunno: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jared Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 i think pete has some type of shock that holds up his hood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jage Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 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... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twisty Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I'm pretty sure that go-jeep did this mod. http://gojeep.willyshotrod.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STROKERMJ Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 IIRC some year XJ hatch struts, the little ball "thingy" unscrews from the strut. STROKER MJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fendermb4 Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oizarod115 Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jage Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 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" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jared Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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