Engine lid & Trunk lid conversions!!

[7391417]

Hi all!

I just finished replacing the wire springs on my engine lid today with a gas strut type assembly! Wow, it looks so cool and is much nicer than those stupid wire springs.

My question is this, I am going to install gast struts on the rear trunk lid as well but I am concerned about removing the wire springs. The ones on the engine lid were much smaller and still had a lot of tension. Has any one else removed the wire springs for the rear trunk? What is the best way to go about it, should I un-bolt the end that is closest to the roller on the hinge first or the end that sits against the other side on the sheet metal? I am just conerned about the spring fliping around wildly as it is unbolted and damaging something in the engine compartment or worse my hands!
Any thoughts are appreciated!

-Brent

[Dave Bell]

Brent -

Check the tech article on this site at
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/914_cooley/914_cooley_trunk_spring.htm

which talks about a tool to help you put the springs back on without killing yourself... maybe it can be used to help get them off also.

I am curious to know/see what you are thinking about for the rear trunk. I have to weld in a new hinge on one side of my rear trunk sometime soon, so the spring will have to come out, and it might be a good time to switch to a gas strut like you are planning to do and have done on the front. What have you used, where did you get it and how much did it cost.

Thanks,

- Dave

[7391417]

Dave, Thanks for the link.

I am planning on doing the rear trunk in a couple of days. When I am done I will try and get pictures posted.

I got the struts and the mounting hardware at a local Rv-Trailer supply. They have struts in a variety of lengths and pressures.

For the engine lid I used a single 25# strut about 12 inches long mounted on the drivers side. The way I attached mine involves leaving the rain tray off, but I don't mind because I don't drive my 914 in the rain. You can still do it with the rain tray in place, I just liked the other mounting option better.

For the rear trunk I am using two 30# struts about 24"s long. I wanted to do the front trunk as well, but due to the curvature of the hood and the restricted space it wasn't worth it considering that my hood holds it self up just fine by itself now already.

As far as price, the struts are about $11.00 - $14.00 each and the mounting hardware (you need to pieces for each strut) run about a $1.50 each. So the total for the rear trunk ran me about $30.00, and about $18.00 for the engine lid.

-Brent

[7391417]

Well I finished up the trunk install last night! Getting the wire springs off was not that bad a job, you want to do one spring at a time and loosen up the end that presses against the sheet metal and then the side that is against the hinge roller. The hard part was getting the wrench in the spaces that you have to work with. I ended up using 20" long struts in the back, and my final price was a little lower than what I said in my previous post, all together with the engine lid components included it cost me about $45.00. I will try and post pictures as soon as I can!

-Brent