[onZedge]

Brand new hood struts are impossible to compress by hand with one end attached to the car. What worked for me was to use short lengths of 2X4's as cribbing and a small pry bar. I only had to compress it 1/4".
- Suspend the end of the hood with bungees up to the rafters
!!NOT TOO HIGH OR YOU MAY CRACK THE WINDSHIELD!!
- attach clevis end to hood on driver's side (I used SS washers and e-clips to replace the 20 year old factory clip)
- add 2X4 cribbing to get close to bottom of strut
- pry up bottom of strut and pop in the ball socket end
- remove the battery on the passenger side and repeat above steps
- throw out the broom handle you kept behind the seat to prop the hood