Hood Struts (Windshield still intact !!!!)

Mr_Wizard · 05-05-2007, 05:29 AM

Replaced my hood struts yesterday. Took about 1/2 hour. I had to unbolt the hood. Pretty easy but damn, talk about little clearance from the hood to the windshield. That part must have been rushed in the design process.

Aufgeladen944 · 05-05-2007, 06:00 AM

I still need to do mine. Wow, crap is piling up on this damn car.

Good thing I'm a student and I have summers off.

SoCal Driver · SoCal Driver's Garage

You don't have to unbolt the hood.

Mr_Wizard · 05-06-2007, 05:53 AM

Yes doing it myself I needed to unbolt the hood. I could not get the struts to compress. Before I did it I read multiple postings here about this and more than a few people unbolted their hood to get this done. I know you are pretty much one of the resident experts here on these cars, and I have referred to many of yours and other members posts for other things that I have done on my car and that I thank you and other members on the board for. Basically what I am saying is, go piss up a rope. So what if I unbolted the hood off?

Schumi · 05-06-2007, 06:55 AM

WELL,

I did it and I didn't have to unbolt the hood. Put bottom of shocks on, compressed them by hand and slid the top in. It did not seem hard. Maybe your brand of shock was a lot tougher.

So, there.

SoCal Driver · SoCal Driver's Garage

You can really screw up the hood alignment by removing it. This will cause a stress crack in the sides of the hood IF you don't get it back close. While one needs to be very careful in replacing the hood struts you don't have to remove the hood to do it. It's the total extension of the struts that limit the hood location.

Some tend to make things harder than they are. At least the first time through.

Tidybuoy · 05-06-2007, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mr_Wizard
Basically what I am saying is, go piss up a rope. So what if I unbolted the hood off?

I replaced mine without doing anything to the hood except propping it up.....I guess I'm not a girly man

Eldorado · 05-06-2007, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tidybuoy
I guess I'm not a girly man

BURN

lol =P
all in good fun

JonA · 05-06-2007, 06:17 PM

"Go piss up a rope" What page in Haynes is that on.......
I'll do a search......

1982911sc · 05-06-2007, 07:51 PM

I can't get mine on either...so how does one do it without unbolting the hood? When you compress them, do they stay compressed? I am about to pay the wrench to put them on and would hate to do that on a what should be an easy one!! Thoughts?

onZedge · 05-06-2007, 09:18 PM

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

SoCal Driver · SoCal Driver's Garage

Replace these twice in the last 22 years. Getting ready to do it again. Never had to take the hood off.

drift a 944 · 05-07-2007, 01:25 AM

I have also replaced these multiple times, using multiple brands, on muliple 944 models.

Never had to take the hood off either. I thought it was one of the easiest things i have ever done on a 944. *shrug*

Eldorado · 05-07-2007, 10:10 AM

the PO never had to take the hood off with my car..

VINMAN · 05-07-2007, 10:51 AM

No reason to take the hood off.

EMBPilot · EMBPilot's Garage

Vinman prefers hood removal only by means of aerodynamic forces, dont let him fool you....

Eldorado · 05-07-2007, 11:22 AM

LOL

hey, not many people can say they were going so fast in their 944 that the hood got ripped off!

EMBPilot · EMBPilot's Garage

LOL nice Kyle!

gtroth · 05-07-2007, 05:10 PM

I've done this a lot, because I am an idiot. Never took off the hood.

My quick story is post #25 here, along with a silly little tool I made that works great:

silly strut tool

Next time I need to do this that chain will have a turn-buckle in it.

jcommin · jcommin's Garage

I have done this a few times. What works for me is:

Use a small hose clamp and secure it to the lower shock. Be sure the mounting hole of the shock is not obstructed by the clamp.

Mount the upper shock to the hood.

Use (3) med size plastic wire ties. Thread one of the ties thru the upper shock over the pin. Join all the 3 wire ties to form a circle.

Take the lower end of the loop and place it around the clamp. It should grab the screw of the hose clamp. Position the lower part of the shock almost perpendicular to the inner fender.

Lower the hood. The shock should compress. Tighten up wire ties taking up the slack in the loop. As you raise the hood the wire tie/clamp arrangement will keep the shock compressed. insert the lower shock into the ball of the lower mount.

Cut the wire ties and remove the hose clamp.

The hard part is positioning the shock so that it can compress without slipping on the inner fender.