Count me as a fan of regular hood shocks. Open hood and done, no second step required. Let go of the hood anytime, no crashing down on your head. My replacement units have been in for 5 years and counting, replacement is easy.
I did try the prop rod and its simply in the way and not secure at all when stowed or up. Like others say, one of the more sanely priced replacement parts. Get the good ones front and back.

Nice one Gordon. Gona look for some hose now!

There is someone on Pelican who makes aluminum hood props with a spring loaded lock pin. I have them and so does a friend. Purchased very recently. They work well. I can't remember who makes them. I will check records for a name. I believe I paid by check. Maybe he will see this thread and reply. He makes a good solid product.

I always kept a 3 wood in the car before I put new hood shocks in.

I did an engine drop last winter and after getting hit on the head a few times I swore I would replace those dampers when done. I took them off and they still seemed really strong.

Spring came and they worked great through summer and fall.

I'm not sure if borderline ones fail in colder weather, or if they were designed to operate best within a warmer temperature range and a lighter tail -turbo tail probably heavier). I really didn't want it to be harder to lift in the summer since I open to cool after a spirited drive and leave it open to cool.

I seem to see these replacement threads come up when the weather turns colder.

Here you go:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-used-parts-sale-wanted/832022-fs-mechanical-front-hoot-struts.html

The guy has even posted a video of how they're made...

$75 each for the aluminum mechanical struts? Wow........ I know aluminum is not cheap these days. But we can accomplish the same for less with a dead one, a drill and a bolt. To each his own, as they say.

I made a prop rod like Seine's from a piece of threaded rod (covered with some rubber hose and an inexpensive light duty spherical rod end from McMaster.

I've got 4 years on these SS Weltmeisters and they are still going strong:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/644993-weltmeister-ss-hood-struts-lifetime-warranty.html

Im ok with my gas struts but if I were you guys Id get the mgb struts . The MG midget ones look shorter so maybe those will work better. I would bet the mgb ones can be cut down if needed. The old jeeps used them on the hard tops and they work great. They are better than what you guys are doing because you dont have to reach in and manually release them you just lift up the hood a bit and it releases the catch. Atleast thats how the jeep ones work im not positive about the mg ones.

At the risk of repeating myself, I've owned 8 or 9 911's over the last 35 years and I can count the number of struts I've needed to replace on one hand and still have fingers left. If you guys are replacing them repeatedly, it's probably becuase the struts you are buying are aftermarket crap. I only used the original Porsche parts and those would go decades in use. Then again, I didn't open the engine lid or trunk every day, although when I started using battery tenders, the trunk got opened twice every time I drove a car.

JR

I looked it at too but it says it can only support 25 lbs. Not sure how much my tail weighs. Will look into it but this may work.

Because strut replacement is expensive, and the lower clip on the front hood is a bit of a pain to replace, I try to remember to let the struts do the work, rather than pulling up on the hood to get it to open faster. (like I used to do. Maybe I'm the only neanderthal out there who did this...?) I don't know if it helps them live longer, but it makes me feel better.

There's a pretty cool how-to out there about wiring up a magnetic Apple charger:

VWVortex.com - So I kinda spoiled the bedlined Audi.

:cool: